<div style="text-align: justify;">The man arrested over the murder of British MP Jo Cox was described by neighbours as a friendly loner who helped them with their gardening, but allegedly had ties to white supremacists and battled mental illness. 
 
Police confirmed a 52-year-old was in custody over Thursday&#39;s attack in the Yorkshire village of Birstall. He was named by British media as Thomas Mair&nbsp;and he had lived in social housing nearby for the past 40 years. 
 
&quot;He is just a quiet bloke who keeps to himself,&quot; neighbour Kathleen Cooke, 62, was quoted as saying in several newspapers. 
 
Another neighbour, David Pickles, 62, was quoted as saying he was &quot;a bit of a loner, but I could not say he was unfriendly&quot;, adding that he was &quot;a man of few words&quot;. 
 
The description seems at odds with the frenzied nature of the attack on Cox, who eyewitnesses said was shot three times, and then stabbed as she lay bleeding on the pavement. 
 
Mair&#39;s brother Scott, 50, told The Sun tabloid that he was &quot;struggling to believe what has happened&quot;. 
 
&quot;My brother is not a violent man and is not that political. We don&#39;t even know who he votes for. I am visibly shaken at this news,&quot; he said. 
 
He confirmed that his brother had mental health problems, and the suspect himself spoke about these in an interview with a local newspaper in 2010. 
 
But evidence has also emerged of Mair&#39;s links to white nationalist movements in the United States and South Africa. 
 
The Southern Poverty Law Centre, a US civil rights group, said it had found records suggesting Mair was &quot;a dedicated supporter of the National Alliance (NA), the once premier neo-Nazi organisation in the United States, for decades&quot;. 
 
It said that he had spent more than $620 (550 euros) on reading material from the National Alliance, a group which called for the creation of an all-white homeland and eradication of the Jewish people. 
 
The Daily Telegraph newspaper also reported that Mair was a subscriber to S. A. Patriot, a South African magazine published by the pro-apartheid group the White Rhino Club. 
 
A 2006 blog posting attributed to the group, which describes the magazine&#39;s editorial stance as being against multiculturalism, named him as one of its earliest subscribers. 
 
- &#39;Socially isolated&#39; - 
Mair&#39;s half-brother Duane St Louis, 41, expressed his disbelief at suggestions of his far-right leanings. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s never expressed any views about Britain, or politics or racist tendencies. I&#39;m mixed race and I&#39;m his half-brother, we got on well,&quot; he was widely quoted as saying. 
 
In 2010, Mair spoke to the local Huddersfield Examiner newspaper about his mental health issues. 
 
The report said he volunteered at Oakwell Hall country park, a stately home and gardens nearby, after being a patient at a day centre for adults with mental illness. 
 
&quot;I can honestly say it (the work) has done me more good than all the psychotherapy and medication in the world,&quot; Mair was reported as saying. 
 
&quot;Many people who suffer from mental illness are socially isolated and disconnected from society, feelings of worthlessness are also common, mainly caused by long-term unemployment.&quot; 
 
Neighbours said that Mair had never had a full-time job, and lived in the council house that he had once shared with his grandmother, who died about 20 years ago. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s lived there longer than me and I&#39;ve lived here since 1975. I still can&#39;t believe it. He&#39;s the last guy I would have thought of,&quot; Pickles was quoted as saying by the Press Association news agency. 
 
Mair&#39;s brother Scott expressed his condolences to Cox&#39;s family, while Mair&#39;s mother Mary, 69, was also struggling to make sense of what happened. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t understand it, I just don&#39;t understand it,&quot; she was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying. 
(AFP)</div>

Neighbours describe the 52-year-old suspect, named by the British media as Thomas Mair, as socially isolated

The man arrested over the murder of British MP Jo Cox was described by neighbours as a friendly loner who helped them with their gardening, but allegedly had ties to white supremacists and battled mental illness. Police confirmed a 52-year-old was in custody over Thursday's attack in the Yorkshire village of Birstall. He was named by British media as Thomas Mair and he had lived in social housing nearby for the past 40 years. "He is just a quiet bloke who keeps to himself," neighbour Kathleen Cooke, 62, was quoted as saying in several newspapers. Another neighbour, David Pickles, 62, was quoted as saying he was "a bit of a loner, but I could not say he was unfriendly", adding that he was "a man of few words". The description seems at odds with the frenzied nature of the attack on Cox, who eyewitnesses said was shot three times, and then stabbed as she lay bleeding on the pavement. Mair's brother Scott, 50, told The Sun tabloid that he was "struggling to believe what has happened". "My brother is not a violent man and is not that political. We don't even know who he votes for. I am visibly shaken at this news," he said. He confirmed that his brother had mental health problems, and the suspect himself spoke about these in an interview with a local newspaper in 2010. But evidence has also emerged of Mair's links to white nationalist movements in the United States and South Africa. The Southern Poverty Law Centre, a US civil rights group, said it had found records suggesting Mair was "a dedicated supporter of the National Alliance (NA), the once premier neo-Nazi organisation in the United States, for decades". It said that he had spent more than $620 (550 euros) on reading material from the National Alliance, a group which called for the creation of an all-white homeland and eradication of the Jewish people. The Daily Telegraph newspaper also reported that Mair was a subscriber to S. A. Patriot, a South African magazine published by the pro-apartheid group the White Rhino Club. A 2006 blog posting attributed to the group, which describes the magazine's editorial stance as being against multiculturalism, named him as one of its earliest subscribers. - 'Socially isolated' - Mair's half-brother Duane St Louis, 41, expressed his disbelief at suggestions of his far-right leanings. "He's never expressed any views about Britain, or politics or racist tendencies. I'm mixed race and I'm his half-brother, we got on well," he was widely quoted as saying. In 2010, Mair spoke to the local Huddersfield Examiner newspaper about his mental health issues. The report said he volunteered at Oakwell Hall country park, a stately home and gardens nearby, after being a patient at a day centre for adults with mental illness. "I can honestly say it (the work) has done me more good than all the psychotherapy and medication in the world," Mair was reported as saying. "Many people who suffer from mental illness are socially isolated and disconnected from society, feelings of worthlessness are also common, mainly caused by long-term unemployment." Neighbours said that Mair had never had a full-time job, and lived in the council house that he had once shared with his grandmother, who died about 20 years ago. "He's lived there longer than me and I've lived here since 1975. I still can't believe it. He's the last guy I would have thought of," Pickles was quoted as saying by the Press Association news agency. Mair's brother Scott expressed his condolences to Cox's family, while Mair's mother Mary, 69, was also struggling to make sense of what happened. "I don't understand it, I just don't understand it," she was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying. (AFP)

British MP murder suspect 'friendly loner', was battling mental illness

Tearful residents laid flowers to their local MP, Jo Cox, on Thursday in the normally quiet Yorkshire village where the 41-year-old mother of two was gunned down, as armed police patrolled the area. 
 
As Britain struggled to comprehend a murder that has cast a shadow over next week&#39;s EU vote, investigators sealed off the home of the suspect -- named in the media as Thomas Mair -- and carried out a forensic search of his garden. 
 
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Cox&#39;s Labour Party, was expected in Birstall later on Friday after paying tribute to Cox at a vigil outside Parliament on Thursday. 
 
&quot;She grew up in this community, she lived for this community, she served this community, and in the end she gave her life for this community,&quot; Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Huddersfield, told residents. 
 
Dozens of floral tributes could be seen at the foot of a statue in Birstall, a large village in a district of around 16,000 inhabitants. 
 
&quot;My heart breaks for your children. So many of your constituents are proud to have called you their MP. Our whole country is hurting right now,&quot; read one handwritten note left with the flowers. 
 
&quot;Jo, what a vile and tragic day,&quot; read another. 
 
Hichem Ben Abdallah, an eyewitness to the shooting who had campaigned in the last election alongside Cox, told AFP he was still in shock at the killing, the first murder of a serving British MP since the Irish Republican Army killed Ian Gow with a car bomb in 1990. 
 
&quot;She stood for peace and transparency, fighting corruption, wanted justice for all. I think her flame will carry on,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;I hope we learn lessons from this,&quot; he added. 
 
Cox, a former charity worker who was only elected to Parliament last year, was best known for her campaigning in favour of refugee rights and for Britain staying in the European Union (EU). 
 
She grew up in the area and made an impassioned maiden speech in parliament about the ethnic diversity of her local community, which saw an influx of migrants from Ireland and the Indian subcontinent when it was a hub for the English textile industry. 
 
Sitting outside a local sports and social club, Stephen Lees said of the attack: &quot;It&#39;s atrocious. It&#39;s not something you expect around here. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not sunk in properly yet.&quot; 
 
In London, mourners laid flowers on the roof of the house boat where Cox lived with her husband and two young children, next to Tower Bridge. 
 
Anne Wainwright, who lived alongside, told mourners: &quot;We have lost a dear, dear friend in the most tragic and outrageous circumstances.&quot; 
 
&quot;We pay tribute to our amazing, wonderful and spirited member of this community -- a beacon of hope who believed in love, friendship and values that we all so much need at this time. 
 
&quot;The community will continue to be inspired by her relentless energy and her commitment to all that is good.&quot;&nbsp; 
(AFP)

'Jo, what a vile and tragic day,' was one of the messages left for Jo cox at the foot of a statue in Birstall where she was killed

Tearful residents laid flowers to their local MP, Jo Cox, on Thursday in the normally quiet Yorkshire village where the 41-year-old mother of two was gunned down, as armed police patrolled the area. As Britain struggled to comprehend a murder that has cast a shadow over next week's EU vote, investigators sealed off the home of the suspect -- named in the media as Thomas Mair -- and carried out a forensic search of his garden. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Cox's Labour Party, was expected in Birstall later on Friday after paying tribute to Cox at a vigil outside Parliament on Thursday. "She grew up in this community, she lived for this community, she served this community, and in the end she gave her life for this community," Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Huddersfield, told residents. Dozens of floral tributes could be seen at the foot of a statue in Birstall, a large village in a district of around 16,000 inhabitants. "My heart breaks for your children. So many of your constituents are proud to have called you their MP. Our whole country is hurting right now," read one handwritten note left with the flowers. "Jo, what a vile and tragic day," read another. Hichem Ben Abdallah, an eyewitness to the shooting who had campaigned in the last election alongside Cox, told AFP he was still in shock at the killing, the first murder of a serving British MP since the Irish Republican Army killed Ian Gow with a car bomb in 1990. "She stood for peace and transparency, fighting corruption, wanted justice for all. I think her flame will carry on," he said. "I hope we learn lessons from this," he added. Cox, a former charity worker who was only elected to Parliament last year, was best known for her campaigning in favour of refugee rights and for Britain staying in the European Union (EU). She grew up in the area and made an impassioned maiden speech in parliament about the ethnic diversity of her local community, which saw an influx of migrants from Ireland and the Indian subcontinent when it was a hub for the English textile industry. Sitting outside a local sports and social club, Stephen Lees said of the attack: "It's atrocious. It's not something you expect around here. "It's not sunk in properly yet." In London, mourners laid flowers on the roof of the house boat where Cox lived with her husband and two young children, next to Tower Bridge. Anne Wainwright, who lived alongside, told mourners: "We have lost a dear, dear friend in the most tragic and outrageous circumstances." "We pay tribute to our amazing, wonderful and spirited member of this community -- a beacon of hope who believed in love, friendship and values that we all so much need at this time. "The community will continue to be inspired by her relentless energy and her commitment to all that is good." (AFP)

English village in shock after British MP's murder

Gold turned lower on Thursday, as Sterling bounced higher and US stock markets came well off their lows following the suspension of Britain&#39;s campaign for next week&#39;s referendum after a member of Parliament was shot dead. 
 
British Member of Parliament Jo Cox, who was killed in the street in her constituency in northern England earlier in the day, had been a vocal supporter of Britain remaining within the EU. 
 
The turnaround in bullion prices, their first drop in seven sessions, came after rallying to the highest in nearly two years, buoyed by the US Federal Reserve, which sounded a dovish note after its latest policy meeting on Wednesday. 
 
In Euro and Sterling terms, the metal turned lower after reaching three-year highs. 
 
Spot gold was down 0.4 per cent at $1,285.76 an ounce by 2:40 pm EDT (1840 GMT), after rising to $1,315.55 an ounce, the highest since August 2014. 
 
Spot prices have bounced 6 per cent this month, after the approaching June 23 referendum - when Britons will vote on whether or not to leave the European Union, dubbed &quot;Brexit&quot; - dented appetite for assets viewed as higher risk, sending investors scurrying for bonds and gold. 
 
After the attack, campaigning for next week&#39;s referendum was suspended. 
 
U.S. gold futures for August delivery settled up 0.8 percent at $1,298.40 an ounce. 
 
&quot;A rebound in the euro and sterling, and a mirrored decline in the dollar, set gold up for a retracement,&quot; said James Steel, chief metals analyst for HSBC Securities in New York. 
 
&quot;Recovery in equities may also imply some dimming in risk-off related purchases of gold.&quot; 
 
Yields on most U.S. Treasury yields rose to session highs after British campaigning for the Brexit vote was suspended following MP Cox&#39;s death. 
 
Expectations that the U.S. central bank would press ahead with interest rate increases over the summer faded earlier this month after the release of weak U.S. payrolls data for May. 
 
&quot;Brexit worries then gave us the next boost and yesterday the FOMC provided enough dovish ammunition for it to make a new high,&quot; said Saxo Bank&#39;s head of commodity research, Ole Hansen. 
 
On Wednesday, holdings in the world&#39;s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Shares, rose to the highest since October 2013. 
 
Silver fell 0.4 percent to $17.43 an ounce, platinum lost 0.1 percent to $969.67 and palladium was up 0.2 percent at $533.11. 
(Reuters)

US stock markets came well off their lows following the suspension of Britain's referendum campaign after the death of British MP

Gold turned lower on Thursday, as Sterling bounced higher and US stock markets came well off their lows following the suspension of Britain's campaign for next week's referendum after a member of Parliament was shot dead. British Member of Parliament Jo Cox, who was killed in the street in her constituency in northern England earlier in the day, had been a vocal supporter of Britain remaining within the EU. The turnaround in bullion prices, their first drop in seven sessions, came after rallying to the highest in nearly two years, buoyed by the US Federal Reserve, which sounded a dovish note after its latest policy meeting on Wednesday. In Euro and Sterling terms, the metal turned lower after reaching three-year highs. Spot gold was down 0.4 per cent at $1,285.76 an ounce by 2:40 pm EDT (1840 GMT), after rising to $1,315.55 an ounce, the highest since August 2014. Spot prices have bounced 6 per cent this month, after the approaching June 23 referendum - when Britons will vote on whether or not to leave the European Union, dubbed "Brexit" - dented appetite for assets viewed as higher risk, sending investors scurrying for bonds and gold. After the attack, campaigning for next week's referendum was suspended. U.S. gold futures for August delivery settled up 0.8 percent at $1,298.40 an ounce. "A rebound in the euro and sterling, and a mirrored decline in the dollar, set gold up for a retracement," said James Steel, chief metals analyst for HSBC Securities in New York. "Recovery in equities may also imply some dimming in risk-off related purchases of gold." Yields on most U.S. Treasury yields rose to session highs after British campaigning for the Brexit vote was suspended following MP Cox's death. Expectations that the U.S. central bank would press ahead with interest rate increases over the summer faded earlier this month after the release of weak U.S. payrolls data for May. "Brexit worries then gave us the next boost and yesterday the FOMC provided enough dovish ammunition for it to make a new high," said Saxo Bank's head of commodity research, Ole Hansen. On Wednesday, holdings in the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Shares, rose to the highest since October 2013. Silver fell 0.4 percent to $17.43 an ounce, platinum lost 0.1 percent to $969.67 and palladium was up 0.2 percent at $533.11. (Reuters)

Gold falls from two-year high as Brexit campaign suspended

British&nbsp;MP&nbsp;Jo Cox, 41, has died after being attacked in the street in her constituency today,&nbsp;police confirmed. 
 
West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman Dee Collins told reporters she was &quot;very sad&quot; to report that Cox was pronounced dead at 1.48 pm (1248 GMT). 
 
&quot;Today is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. More difficult, more painful, less joyful, less full of love. I and Jo&rsquo;s friends and family are going to work every moment of our lives to love and nurture our kids and to fight against the hate that killed Jo.&nbsp;Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy, and a zest for life that would exhaust most people.&nbsp;She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now, one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her. Hate doesn&rsquo;t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous.&nbsp;Jo would have no regrets about her life, she lived every day of it to the full&quot;, said Brendan Cox, husband of late British lawmaker

Leading politicians reacted over the demise of Jo Cox&nbsp;&nbsp;on Twitter 
 
(WIONews and Agencies)
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The Labour lawmaker, 41, was critically injured on Thursday after being shot and stabbed in her constituency in northern England.

British MP Jo Cox, 41, has died after being attacked in the street in her constituency today, police confirmed. West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman Dee Collins told reporters she was "very sad" to report that Cox was pronounced dead at 1.48 pm (1248 GMT). "Today is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. More difficult, more painful, less joyful, less full of love. I and Jo’s friends and family are going to work every moment of our lives to love and nurture our kids and to fight against the hate that killed Jo. Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy, and a zest for life that would exhaust most people. She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now, one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her. Hate doesn’t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous. Jo would have no regrets about her life, she lived every day of it to the full", said Brendan Cox, husband of late British lawmaker Leading politicians reacted over the demise of Jo Cox on Twitter (WIONews and Agencies)

Anti-Brexit British MP dead after street attack: Police

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