EU Must Reform For Jobs And Growth - Cameron

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

David Cameron has called fellow European leaders and urged them to "seize the opportunity" for reform on jobs and growth following the European elections.

In a series of phone calls the Prime Minister urged them to "heed the views expressed at the ballot box" over recent days.

His intervention came ahead of today's Informal European Council dinner in Brussels, where leaders are expected to discuss the results of the European poll.

Many European leaders, including Mr Cameron and Denmark's Helle Thorning-Schmidt, saw their support fall away to anti-immigration parties such as UKIP.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also lost votes to Alternative For Germany, a party opposed to the euro.

Mr Cameron told leaders, including Ms Merkel and Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, that the results of the poll underlined the need for reform, in particular on job creation and economic growth.

Germany's Angela Merkel lost votes to a party opposed to the euro

"The PM has been making the point in these conversations that leaders should seize the opportunity of Tuesday's dinner to heed the views expressed at the ballot box," said Downing Street.

"The turnout and results in the EP elections have underlined the need for reform to ensure that the EU is doing more to deliver what voters care about: jobs, growth and a better future."

A senior diplomat said the informal dinner will look at the EU Council's priorities over the next five years, and discuss the likely impact of the confusing mosaic of political interests elected to the chamber.

The diplomat said no names for a potential president of the Commission would be discussed, and that the process of picking a successor to Jose Manuel Barroso could take weeks, not days.

The leaders might use the dinner to slim down the Council's "to do" list, in order to concentrate on encouraging growth and employment, so restoring faith in the institutions of the European Union.

Mr Hollande has called for a "re-focus" of Europe

Parties which campaign against the European Union, or its current structure and priorities, doubled their representation in the parliament with a humiliation for the French President Francois Hollande.

Mr Hollande's Socialist Party secured nearly half as much support as the right-wing Front National.

He has signalled his intention to press ahead with reforms in France, while also pushing for the EU to prioritise growth and jobs.

"I am a European, it is my duty to reform France and re-focus Europe," he said in a message broadcast on French television.

The EU Council is also expected to discuss developments in Ukraine, where presidential elections were held at the weekend.

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Nick Clegg 'Could Lose Seat At Next Election'

European Elections: The Winner And Losers

Updated: 4:01am UK, Monday 26 May 2014

By Michael Thrasher, Sky's Election Analyst

UKIP stormed to first place in the European elections, becoming the party of choice for nearly a third of voters.

This is the first time since 1906 that a party other than the big two - Conservative and Labour - has topped the poll in a nationwide vote.

The first result, once again delivered by the North East region, gave a taste of things to come. 

Last time the region's three Euro seats were spread among the three established parties.

This time both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats lost their seats leaving Labour leading with two MEPs but UKIP picking its first seat of the night.

Across the region UKIP even finished ahead of Labour in four local authorities that are used to tally the European votes.

As more regions declared their results it became clear that UKIP was on course to finish on top in the popular vote.

It out-polled the Conservatives in the South East and South West, in the Eastern region where it has gained a real foothold at local council elections and also the East Midlands. 

In the West Midlands, in parliamentary terms a real battleground between the Conservatives and Labour it was UKIP that once again eclipsed the traditional parties.

Further evidence that UKIP has been instrumental in stalling Labour's progress came in the Yorkshire and Humber region. Here, UKIP finished first with 31% of the vote, a two-point lead over Labour in what is generally regarded as one of the party's strongest areas.

Compared with the last time voters selected MEPs in 2009 UKIP registered double-digit increases in vote share across every region to declare overnight. 

The biggest losers were the Liberal Democrats who endured an appalling time, following so closely upon extremely disappointing local election results.

The pro-European party lost all but one of its MEPs from the first nine of Great Britain's 11 regional constituencies to declare and were relegated to fifth place behind the Greens.

The pressure that had grown on Nick Clegg as the party watched its councillors defeated may grow yet further as his critics point to his decision to debate with Nigel Farage as a catalyst for the party's collapse.  

Although Labour gained seats it will again be subjected to the accusation that it is punching below its weight. Opinion polling suggested that it was vying with UKIP for first place but the results show a clear gap between the two parties.

Indeed, while Labour is likely to overtake the Conservatives in the national vote once the counting is completed in Scotland the gap between the two main parties will not be great.

The national projection of the local election voting placed Labour just one percentage point ahead of the Conservatives and the closeness of the Euro voting will add to the pressure on the Labour leadership.

Of course, the pattern of voting will be different at next year's general election. Many voters that backed UKIP this time will return to one or other of the major parties.

But Mr Farage has undoubtedly produced chaos and confusion among the established parties and no one can be sure at this point about the impact his party will have in less than a year's time.

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Far-Right National Front 'Win' In France

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

Voters have dramatically altered the make-up of the European Parliament by doubling the number of MEPs from the populist, eurosceptic Right and the anti-austerity Left.

Marine Le Pen's far-Right National Front scored its first victory in European Parliament elections in France.

Without waiting for the final result, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls went on television to call the result "an earthquake" for France and Europe.

The National Front (FN) won around 25% of the vote in France, according to exit polls, easily beating the centre-Right UMP on 20%.

Exit polls say far-right and hard-left parties have gained ground in many countries, including in Greece where the extreme-right Golden Dawn are thought to have won nearly 10% of the vote.

By the half way stage, the centre-right parties were expected to be the biggest group, with 212 out of 751 seats.

The Socialists were expected to gain 185 seats, the Liberals third with 71, the Greens fourth with 55 and the far-left next with 45.

Eurosceptic parties were expected to win about 143 seats.

Marine Le Pen celebrates winning France's Euro election

The winners in Greece, the anti-austerity movement Syriza, are thought to have topped the polls with more than 27% of the vote.

In Germany, the EU's biggest member state with the largest number of seats, the pro-European centre ground held firm, according to the polls.

Ms Le Pen, whose party beat President Francois Hollande's ruling Socialists into third place, told supporters: "The people have spoken loud and clear ... they no longer want to be led by those outside our borders, by EU commissioners and technocrats who are unelected.

"They want to be protected from globalisation and take back the reins of their destiny."

Eurosceptic Conservative MPs in the UK were quick to point out they had predicted the rise of the Right.

Harwich and Essex MP Bernard Jenkin wrote on Twitter: "Some of us who opposed Maastricht 20 years ago predicted it would lead to the rise of the Right in the EU: and here we are."

Douglas Carswell, the Clacton MP, said: "So maybe those of us who sometimes banged on about Europe were on to something?"

Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "I think we should be concerned about some of these developments across the rest of Europe and that is why it is so important that the next European Commission, the European Council, the next European Parliament do get the message that there is rising discontent and tensions of many kinds in Europe."

In Denmark the Right wing Danish People's Party topped the polls, although its leaders have ruled out an alliance with the National Front.

Spain's two main political parties, the ruling conservative Popular Party in power since 2011 and the Socialist Party, lost major ground to smaller parties, mainly on the Left. The Catalan independence party also performed well.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) came in ahead of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) in his country's exit polls.

In Belgium, the controversial Flemish separatists secured four of  21 EU parliamentary seats available in the country, more than any other party. 

Turnout in Eastern Europe was predicted to be low, with estimates of around 20% expected. 

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European Elections: UKIP Tops British Polls

By Joey Jones, Deputy Political Editor

UKIP has topped the European polls in the UK, with the Labour Party vying with the Conservatives for second place and the Lib Dems all but wiped out.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has hailed his party's first win in a national election, winning 24 MEP seats, as an "earthquake" in British politics.

Coming a year ahead of the General Election, it is the first time a party other than the Conservatives or Labour has topped a nationwide poll in 108 years.

The Lib Dems lost all but one of its 11 MEPs, with the party coming in fifth place - after the Greens - in every region so far.

Farage's party broke a record that had stood since 1906

With only Northern Ireland's results yet to come in of the 12 UK regions, UKIP has 29.1% of the vote, Labour 25.4%, the Conservatives 24.6%, the Greens 7.9% and the Lib Dems 6.9%. There was a turnout of 36%.

UKIP is among a host of Eurosceptic parties across the continent looking set to make major gains as voters express their anger at the financial crisis that crippled many countries in the 28-member bloc.

Mr Farage, whose party also won a seat in Scotland for the first time, told Sky News: "It looks like we're going to top the poll and think that it is the earthquake that I've been looking for.

"We hit the Labour Party in the north of England in a way that nobody thought possible. I think for too long the argument has been UKIP picks up the Conservative vote and people have ignored the fact that, actually, with Labour voters, Lib Dem voters and non-voters, Conservatives are a minority of our vote."

In his acceptance speech after topping the poll in the South East, Mr Farage pledged: "You have not heard the last of us."

Nick Griffin lost his seat on the European Parliament

He said the victory for his party's "people's army" was "just about the most extraordinary result that has been seen in British politics for 100 years".

BNP leader Nick Griffin, meanwhile, failed in his bid to be re-elected as an MEP in the North West.

He told Sky News: "We're out tonight but we'll be back. We set the agenda, we're the ones who broke the taboo about immigration - we've allowed UKIP to do what they've done but when people see they don't deliver their votes will crumble."

A senior Lib Dem source said it was "not looking good", adding that it was "touch and go in one or two regions".

And Lib Dem party president Tim Farron told Sky News: "If you decide to be the only party that's going to tackle the kind of anti-European theme that's been in British politics for perhaps 25 years now ... then you are potentially going to take a hit."

The Conservative Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, insisted the vote was skewed by a significant number of "lender voters" who would abandon UKIP and return to the Conservative fold for the 2015 general election.

Mr Hammond told Sky News: "UKIP is a protest party. Most of the people who are voting for UKIP - not all of them, but most of them - are disillusioned voters of other parties who have moved to UKIP to send us a message, and we've got a year to show them that we've got that message.

"We've got to reiterate our continuing story about how our economic plan is delivering for Britain, recognising that not everybody is feeling the benefit of that yet.

"We've got to make sure they do and we've also got to express the specific concerns that people are articulating about immigration and about Europe."

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Drive-By Killer Stabbed Three Before Gun Spree

The son of a Hollywood director "repeatedly stabbed" three men to death in his apartment before killing three more during a shooting spree, say police.

British-born Elliot Rodger, son of an assistant director on The Hunger Games film, had three semi-automatic handguns and 400 rounds of ammunition with him when he died.

The 22-year-old also left seven others in hospital as he sped around Isla Vista, a student enclave next to the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Rodger said he was angry at women for rejecting him

County Sheriff Bill Brown told reporters Rodger had tried to get into a college sorority house during the Friday night attack, and that women inside had heard "loud, aggressive knocking" for several minutes.

Unable to gain access, police said he then shot three young women outside the building, killing a 19-year-old and a 22-year-old student.

Police showed images of the handguns used by the 22-year-old

The sixth victim, 20-year-old student Christopher Michael-Martinez, was shot dead outside a delicatessen.

In an emotional statement, his father called on the "insanity" to stop and blamed "irresponsible politicians" for not doing more on gun control.

Rodger's family said the 22-year-old had been receiving psychiatric care.

He had also been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and had "multiple therapists", said Alan Shifman, the family's lawyer.

Police believe Rodger shot himself in the head after he crashed his BMW

A day before the attack, the killer posted a video on YouTube, promising to slaughter "spoilt, stuck-up, blonde" women who he said had rebuffed him.

Rodger made a chilling tirade against women and the rest of humanity, threatening a "day of retribution".

"For the last eight years of my life, ever since I hit puberty, I've been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires all because girls have never been attracted to me," he said.

Police are investigating 10 locations and multiple crime scenes

"You throw yourselves at all these obnoxious men," he continued, "instead of me - the supreme gentleman - I will punish all of you for it." He chuckles sinisterly.

He also published a rambling 141-page manifesto on the internet, called My Twisted World, where he detailed his childhood.

Police said Rodger's attacks had taken place at 10 locations as he fled from officers and fired at pedestrians from his black BMW.

A van enters the apartment complex where three men were stabbed to death

He also crashed into two cyclists - one of whom caved in the windshield.

Police exchanged fire with Rodger and believe they hit him in the hip as they opened fire on his car. The rampage ended when he crashed his vehicle after ploughing into the second cyclist.

Sheriff Brown said they found him with a gun wound to the head, which they believe was self-inflicted.

Rodger shot at pedestrians and mowed down two pedestrians

Rodger's guns were all legally purchased and registered to him.

Seven people remain in hospital at Santa Barbara's Cottage Hospital with gun wounds and injuries caused by the suspect's car, said Dr Stephen Kaminski. Two of them are in a serious condition.

Rodger's family called police last month worried about his welfare but officers said they found him "polite and courteous" and no action was deemed necessary.

Peter Rodger was assistant director of The Hunger Games

In a blog post, he wrote he was born in the UK and moved to the US when he was five. His father, Peter, was educated in Maidstone, Kent.

Rodger was reportedly pictured two years ago on the red carpet with his father at a premiere for The Hunger Games, a dystopian futuristic drama in which teenagers fight each other to the death.

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Did Police Miss Chance To Stop Elliot Rodger?

Police have admitted Elliot Rodger was "severely mentally disturbed" and his family had told officers they were concerned - but were opportunities missed to stop his killing spree?

Santa Barbara sheriff Bill Brown told reporters they had encountered Rodger three times - the most significant on April 30 when a family member asked police to check on him.

"(Police) found him to be polite and courteous. He downplayed the concerns for his welfare and the deputies cleared the call," said Sheriff Brown.

"They determined he did not meet the criteria for an involuntary mental health hold. He appeared timid and shy."

In his rambling online 'manifesto', Rodger describes his relief that his plans for murder had not been discovered.

Rodger said he planned to lure people to his apartment (above)

"For a few horrible seconds I thought it was all over," writes the 22-year-old, who says his plans for a "Day of Retribution" began last summer when he claims he was attacked at a party.

Rodger - who killed six people in his knife and gun attacks - describes taking down his YouTube videos to head off suspicions over his mental health.

Police told reporters the killer said he was having social problems and would not be returning to school for the next year.

The killer was 'courteous' when police spoke to him, said Sheriff Brown

"The deputies discussed options available to him in terms of support offered", said Sheriff Brown, who added such call-outs were a routine part of the job.

The Rodgers' family lawyer, Alan Shifman, said Elliot had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome - a form of autism - at a young age.

"He was probably a victim, from my understanding, of bullying throughout his life," said Mr Shifman. "I am sure that played a role in the terrible consequences of last night.

"He had multiple therapists - a social worker who as recently as last week was concerned."

Rodger says he took down some videos after police called at his apartment

The killer's online post - which runs to more than 140 pages - reveals the extent of his mental illness. Police have described it as a "combination of an autobiography and diary".

He repeatedly describes his hatred of women and his frustration at being ignored and remaining a virgin while girls around him choose "obnoxious" men, or men he considers racially inferior.

"Women are sexually attracted to the wrong type of man," he writes.

"Obnoxious, tough jock-type men. They should be going for intelligent gentlemen such as myself ... This is a major flaw in the foundation of humanity."

The killer's rampage took in multiple crime scenes

The final section of his post is entitled: 'Part 6: Santa Barbara: Endgame Age 19-22'.

He sets out his plans to "silently kill as many people as I can by luring them into my apartment through some sort of trickery".

Rodger also talks of beheading and torturing his victims, as well as killing all the members of the Alpha Phi sorority.

"I will punish all females for the crime of depriving me of sex," he writes.

Police revealed he tried unsuccessfully to enter the sorority and that the women inside heard "loud, aggressive knocking" for several minutes but did not open the door.

With his plan seemingly frustrated, Rodger shot three young female students, killing two - Katherine Cooper, 22, and Veronica Weiss, 19.

He then went on a shooting spree through Santa Barbara, killing one more victim, Christopher Michael-Martinez. Seven people also remain in hospital, two with serious injuries.

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