Author: Lewis Fletcher

Brussels (3/12) Governments may be doing great while the people suffer. Bombing of the Nordstream 2 pipeline, carrying cheap Russian natural gas to industry and consumers in Europe, is exerting a cascading effect on companies and employment, eventually to be reflected in rising places and sharpening inflation. Russia is steadily experiencing price increases for a variety of goods and services, Russian media report. Is there obviously not a link to the sanctions placed on Russia and the seizure of Russian funds and savings abroad? Punishment for Russia’s “Special Military Operation” to purportedly protect Russian-speaking citizens in eastern Ukraine from state…

Former President Trump took to Truth Social at 2:03am ET on Thanksgiving to attack people involved in the fraud case that threatens his real estate empire, along with his political opponents. Why it matters: The early-morning diatribe is hardly a traditional Thanksgiving message, but it is classic Trump — and it comes as court officials argue that a gag order restricting just these sorts of posts relating to the $250 million New York civil fraud trial should be reinstated. What he’s saying: In a post beginning “Happy Thanksgiving to ALL,” Trump called: Driving the news: A New York appeals court last week paused a gag order Engoron had imposed on Trump after the former…

The city of Phoenix has successfully cleared out a massive downtown homeless encampment by Saturday’s court-ordered deadline by helping more than 500 people find beds in shelters and motels. The hundreds of tents that once lined blocks of streets in the area are now gone, with just a few people milling about or pushing shopping carts filled with their belongings. “I was staying with a friend in a tent but he’s now gone to a shelter,” said Lily Bitsui, 33, who looked a bit lost. Bitsui said she was not around when city workers were offering to help people find a place…

PETALING JAYA: A shouting match erupted in the Dewan Rakyat today after Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa) questioned Howard Lee (PH-Ipoh Timor) for citing Quranic verses in a viral video. Marzuk, who was debating the supply bill, had brought up the recent controversy surrounding Lee, who allegedly misinterpreted the Quran. “This wasn’t just a matter of translation or interpretation but rather an attempt to derive legal rulings from the Quran or Islamic texts.” He added that only scholars or muftis can interpret and explain Quranic verses. “I would like to ask where and from whom Ipoh Timor acquired this level…

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) called for Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) to retract viral remarks she made Friday on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The congresswoman criticized the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the war, saying the president is “supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people.” Tlaib has received criticism since making the comments, including from Nessel, who posted online calling for her to retract her statements. “I have supported and defended you countless times, even when you have said the indefensible, because I believe you to be a good person whose heart was in the right place,” Nessel posted on X, the platform formerly known…

London, Delhi, Mumbai (28/10 – 10) England’s title defense in the 2023 Cricket World Cup is practically over, after their fourth defeat in five group-stage matches. Jos Buttler and Co. are coming to the tournament in India as the defending champions, having won their first title in history with the 2019 edition. The 2023 Cricket World Cup turns out to be a disaster for Matthew Mott’s team. From day one onwards, England’s show in the tournament has been painfully dismal, losing by 9 wickets at the hand of New Zealand in the 5 October opening match. They seemed to have…

A Pleasant Grove man has been identified as the motorist killed in a weekend head-on collision in western Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the fatality victim as 46-year-old Roger Keith Preston. The wreck happened about 10:45 a.m. Saturday on Taylor’s Ferry Road near Cross Creek Way. Sheriff’s Lt. Joni Money said a Chevrolet Trail Blazer and a GMC Sierra reportedly collided in the eastbound lane of Taylor’s Ferry Road. Preston was the driver of the Trail Blazer. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 11:15 a.m. The adult female driver of the Sierra was transported to UAB…

Kenes Rakishev, star investor, international entrepreneur, philanthropist and former special envoy of the Kazakhstan government, meets star chef, Gordon Ramsay and star manufacturer, Borealis Foods to change the international food market. When Kenes Rakishev embarked on the establishment of Oxus SPAC, a specialized entity aimed at acquiring and subsequently taking companies public on the American stock market, experts were filled with anticipation and conjecture regarding his targeted investments. Renowned for his diverse interests spanning robotics, battery technologies, communications, and groundbreaking concepts, Kenes Rakishev’s decision left everyone startled, as he delved into an exceedingly unforeseen realm: the food sector. Kenes Rakishev…

NEW YORK — Facing the prospect of playing defending champion Iga Swiatek in the second round of the US Open, Australia’s Daria Saville struck the perfect balance of humor and confidence. “The biggest goal,” Saville said, laughing, “is not to get double-bageled. “I think I can still make her life very uncomfortable and I will just play free and see what happens.” Saville made good on her promises on Wednesday, acquitting herself well to force the World No.1 to prove her resilience. And resilient Swiatek was, winning the match 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the third round where she will face…

Toronto, Atlanta (5/9 – 50) An objective appraisal of representative democracy around the planet would conclude that it is in rather a poor condition – at least when held up and compared to an ideal. Singapore has been ruled in a mildly authoritarian manner by the same party since independence in 1965, while Japan’s one-party parliamentary democracy has endured since the end of Occupation in the early 1950s, with intervals out of power. Europe, Australia and the USA are similarly beset with fossilized political parties that while holding a tight grip on power receive dismal approval ratings from the electorate. …