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Coffee machines, fountain pens and Grand Theft Auto: How Murrell spent the money

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Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party between August 2010 and October 2022.

He used the money to buy luxury goods, jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome, but also low-cost items such as chopsticks and hand cream.

Take a look at where he spent it and what on.

Murrell appeared to have an affection for purchasing video gaming items, with almost £2,000 spent on equipment over a 10-year period.

That began on 10 November 2010, when Murrell paid £247.42 on a Sony PlayStation 3 console.

Just over a month later, on 13 December, he purchased a Nintendo DSI XL for £149.99.

The following year, Murrell bought a Nintendo 3DS handheld console on 23 November. Four days later, three other 3DS consoles were bought for a combined total of £349.35.

During this period, Murrell also began buying games. Fifa 12 was bought for the 3DS alongside Pac-Man and Galaga and The Sims 3 Pets.

In 2013, Murrell bought Fifa 14 and Battlefield 4 for the Xbox 360, and in 2014, Fifa 15 Ultimate Edition.

Murrell also bought Grand Theft Auto V, made by Scotland-based game studio Rockstar, for the PlayStation 4.

Incidentally, in 2023, Mike Dailly, one of the architects of the Grand Theft Auto series – one of the world's best-selling franchises – announced he was joining the SNP.

Further gaming purchases included a £50 Turtle Beach gaming headset, an Xbox One console, bought for £297.14 in 2015, and a Nintendo Switch, which cost £279.99 in 2017.

He also spent more than £1,800 at John Lewis on an iPad Pro and Apple magic keyboard in September 2020.

Murrell used SNP finances to purchase a number of high-end coffee machines and luxury coffee beans.

The schedule of items includes a Miele CM 6300 machine on 24 November 2014, which cost £1,299.

Then on 1 February 2017 he used £1,865.75 of party money on a Jura bean to coffee machine.

And on 10 October 2018 he invested in a Jura Z8 fully automatic bean to cup coffee machine, which cost £2,595.

The schedule shows Murrell purchased Portuguese coffee beans on a number of occasions.

In May 2017 he spent £84.95 on five packs of gourmet beans and £123.91 on five packs of roasted beans.

Murrell also bought traditional instant coffee with SNP cash, including 2kg of Nescafe Gold Blend in May 2018 for £81.16.

But even outwith the machines and coffee itself, there is an assortment of related paraphernalia.

A manual espresso maker was bought for £141.07 in February 2017.

In August 2017, £660.80 was spent on a Jura glass coffee cup warmer, six Jura espresso cups and a stainless steel milk pipe, which attaches to a coffee machine.

And a few months later, in November of that year, £354.70 was shelled out on an assortment of Le Creuset espresso and cappuccino mugs in the space of just four days.

While the Niesmann + Bischoff motorhome gathers dust in a Police Scotland impound lot, Murrell is also revealed to have made several other luxury purchases with embezzled funds.

In May and June of 2017, he purchased two Bremont World Timer Alt 1 watches in white and black for £4,555.25 and £4,795 respectively.

A further £4,225 was spent on a Montblanc Starwalker World Time fountain pen in March of that year, one of a number of pens purchased for four-figure amounts.

Among those are a Montblanc meisterstück moon pearl – a modern version of the pen used by Roger Moore's James Bond in the 1983 film Octopussy – and two special Beatles editions designed by the same company.

A £3,500 hand chased wine coaster in Britannia silver, designed by Edinburgh-based jewellers' Hamilton and Inches was purchased a week before Christmas in 2017.

Meanwhile, in May 2021, Murrell spent £3,192 on a black tea set and vanity bureau designed by leather maker Frank Smythson – which holds a royal warrant to provide stationery for the Duke of Edinburgh.

A £2,495 jewellery box and two tote bags in navy and burgundy were purchased from the same firm for a total of £1,116.

Lalique salt and pepper grinders priced at £2,618.16 were bought in January 2020.

Among the luxury purchases, Murrell also bought a number of everyday devices and gadgets, ranging from a Karcher pressure washer (£469.95) to a Dyson V8 Cordless vacuum (£469.99).

DVD series of Sherlock Holmes (£26.97), The Killing (£60), and seasons 1-3 of Danish political drama Borgen (£51.75), were also purchased.

Items of clothing bought included Berghaus jackets (£236.95 and £163.98 respectively), about a dozen Gant shirts, Timberland shoes (£100), and a men's "slouch pouch onesie" (£75.55).

At the other end of the scale, he bought two Neutrogena hand creams (£2.50) as part of a larger purchase and a bottle of Loctite super glue (£3.50).

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yeevz915jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Lamine Yamal in Spain squad but no Real Madrid players

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Lamine Yamal became Spain's youngest player – and goalscorer – when he made his debut aged 16 years and 57 days in 2023

Injured forward Lamine Yamal has been named in Spain's World Cup squad, which does not feature any Real Madrid players for the first time.

The 18-year-old missed the final month of the season after tearing his left hamstring while playing for Barcelona on 22 April.

Real defenders Dean Huijsen and Dani Carvajal were left out.

"I don't look at one club or another. I don't have that local bias a fan might have. For me, it's more global," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.

"The only thing I want is for these footballers to feel proud of representing the national team."

Real did not win a trophy this season and finished eight points behind La Liga champions Barcelona.

Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, who has been struggling with a hamstring problem, also features in the 26-man squad.

"We're very relaxed. Barring any setbacks, we'll have everyone available from the very first match," said De la Fuente.

The World Cup runs from 11 June to 19 July.

Spain play debutants Cape Verde on 15 June, Saudi Arabia on 21 June and Uruguay on 26 June in Group H.

Midfielder Mikel Merino, who returned in Arsenal's last Premier League game of the season on Sunday after four months out with a stress fracture in the foot, has been included in the squad.

He is one of seven Premier League players along with clubmates David Raya and Martin Zubimendi, Tottenham's Pedro Porro, Chelsea's Marc Cucurella, Manchester City's Rodri and Crystal Palace's Yeremy Pino.

Uncapped defenders Eric Garcia and Marc Pubill have been called up after impressing for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid respectively.

"Excitement is the key word. Passion," said De la Fuente.

"The reaction of people all over Spain – adults and children alike – is that they are fully behind the national team."

Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez was last week ruled out of the tournament with a broken foot.

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan Garcia (Barcelona).

Defenders: Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen).

Midfielders: Rodri (Manchester City), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Pedri (Barcelona), Gavi (Barcelona), Fabian Ruiz (Paris St-Germain), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid).

Forwards: Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Victor Munoz (Osasuna), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo).

World Cup 2026: Every nation's squad as they are announced

Everything you need to know about the World Cup

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/crlpp3dw14lo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Nuno meeting West Ham hierarchy over future

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Nuno Espirito Santo won nine out of his 33 Premier League games in charge of West Ham

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is meeting senior management on Monday to assess the impact of relegation to the Championship, amid a belief he is likely to leave the club.

Nuno refused to say whether he would remain at London Stadium after failing to prevent the club dropping out of the Premier League for the first time since 2011.

It is expected his future will be resolved this week.

The former Wolves, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest manager signed a three-year deal with the Hammers in September.

Despite improved form toward the end of the season, including a final day 3-0 victory over Leeds, West Ham paid the price for a poor start, followed by a run of 10 games without a win from the beginning of November to the middle of January.

Chairman David Sullivan and vice-chairman Daniel Kretinsky are likely to be the key voices in the meeting.

West Ham sources have indicated relegation will cost the club about £200m in lost income at a time when finances are already stretched.

The Hammers made a £104m loss in their most recent accounts to 31 May 2025 and are predicted to lose another large sum this season.

Sales appear inevitable, with Mateus Fernandes on Manchester United's list of central midfielders they are interested in.

Skipper Jarrod Bowen is also coveted by a number of Premier League clubs, although he didn't want to talk about that when interviewed by Match of the Day after the Leeds game.

"It's still very, very raw," the winger said. "Talking about futures is disrespectful to the club, the fans, everything like that.

"This club deserves to be in the Premier League. Our aim now is to get this club back into the Premier League."

Latest West Ham news, analysis and fan views

Ask about West Ham – what do you want to know?

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/ce9pp057zneo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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Oil prices slide on hopes of US-Iran peace deal

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Oil prices have fallen sharply on hopes of a deal that could bring an end to the US-Israel war with Iran.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiators had a "pretty solid thing on the table" and an agreement to end the conflict might be reached on Monday.

On Monday morning, global oil benchmark Brent fell 5.5% to $97.90 a barrel, and remained around $97.70 a barrel in the afternoon.

US President Donald Trump said the negotiations were "proceeding nicely" but added it would either be "a great deal for all or no deal at all".

While Iran says progress has been made, a government spokesman added that a deal was "not imminent".

Trump had previously said the deal would include the reopening of the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route, without giving further details.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes, has been effectively closed since the conflict started on 28 February.

Earlier on Monday, Rubio said the talks were "still a work in progress."

"As I said, you know, we thought we might have some news last night," Rubio said in the Indian capital, Delhi.

His comments came after Trump said he had instructed negotiators "not to rush into a deal", after earlier suggesting one was close.

Speaking after Rubio's comments, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baqai, said agreement has been reached on a "large portion of the issues under discussion".

"But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent – no-one can make such a claim," he added.

On Saturday, Trump said that he had had a "very good call" with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and others about a "Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE".

"An agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalisation between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed," Trump said on social media.

"Final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly."

He also said he had had a call on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which had gone "very well".

On Monday, Trump said in his discussions with the Gulf leaders and others, including the presidents of Turkey and Egypt, he pushed them to sign the Abraham Accords which are aimed at normalising relations with Israel.

Global energy markets have seen big price swings since early March after Iran threatened to attack ships trying to use the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks on the country.

While crude oil prices have fallen sharply, they remain significantly higher than before the war. In the lead-up to the conflict Brent was trading at around $70 a barrel.

A ceasefire was agreed in early April, and since then Washington and Tehran have engaged in talks over a long-term peace deal.

"There is now some light at the end of the tunnel, which will bring some near term oil price relief," Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Financial.

"But even in the most optimistic scenario from here, oil markets will remain tight through 2027 given the time required to normalise oil flows through the Strait, repair damaged oil facilities, and rebuild global oil stocks that have seen record depletion since the war began," he added.

Lars Jensen, chief executive of Vespucci Maritime and former Maersk director, said that even if a deal was announced on Monday the shipping industry would remain "very cautious and hesitant".

"You are likely going to see shipping lines that have vessels stuck in the Persian Gulf try to get them out, but they will be a lot more hesitant to put ships back into the Persian Gulf in case the thing turns south again," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Jensen pointed out that with issues such as potential sea mines in the strait and its surrounds, in a best-case scenario it would be months before supply chains were back to the way they had been before the war.

On Monday, the Nikkei 225 stock index in Japan rose above 65,000 for the first time after gaining 3% on hopes that the strait would soon reopen.

Japan, like nearby South Korea, has been particularly affected by the conflict as they are heavily reliant on energy from the Gulf.

UK and US energy and financial markets are closed on Monday for public holidays.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c809m7g29r7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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