Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R) accused her Democratic opponent on the day of the state’s Senate primary race of shying away from addressing accusations about his alleged past conduct toward women. “The allegations against Graham Platner are extremely troubling and serious, and he owes the people of Maine a detailed answer,” Collins told reporters on… Source link
A recent study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences provides evidence that different aspects of narcissism correspond to specific, often self-serving, patterns of religious engagement. The findings suggest that while highly narcissistic individuals might not be more religious overall, they tend to use religion as a tool for personal gain, status, or emotional comfort. This research offers a detailed understanding of how people with inflated self-views or deep-seated insecurities navigate faith and spirituality. At first glance, narcissism and religion seem like an unlikely pair. Religious traditions usually promote humility, selflessness, and community care. Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by egotism, a sense of superiority, and a strong feeling of entitlement. This stark contrast raises an interesting question about how individuals with strong narcissistic traits interact with religious beliefs and communities. Previous studies looking at broad connections between narcissism and religion have yielded mixed results. Some research suggests religious individuals actually score higher on general narcissism scales than non-religious people. Other sets of data show no significant relationship at all between grandiose narcissism …
London-based gallery Stephen Friedman is in debt to the tune of some $10.6 million, according to official documents. Its creditors include a real estate owner, a bank, and an art logistics company as well as several well-known artists. The debts are indicated in an official filing by its administrators on Companies House, reported earlier by the Art Newspaper. “A proposal to deal with the financial fallout from the London- and New York-based gallery’s closure in February was submitted by the insolvency practitioners FRP Advisory on 30 March and approved on 22 April,” notes the newspaper. Related Articles The gallery is in debt by the largest amounts to Coutts & Co. bank, which it owes £3.2 million ($4.3 million), and London-based multinational investors Pentland Group Ltd., which is due £1.4 million ($1.9 million). The latter owns sports brand Speedo and is a majority stakeholder in retailer JD Sports. Alison Mosheim, a director of Pentland, owns 50 percent of the gallery, per the filing. The gallery is on the hook to the UK’s tax, payments and customs …
Authored by Mary Prenon via The Epoch Times, America’s mortgage debt continues to escalate, hitting the $13.2 trillion mark, according to an April 30 WalletHub report. The personal finance website and app indicated that the average U.S. household owes nearly $109,000 in outstanding mortgage balances and that mortgage debt has remained on an upward trend over the past few years. “Mortgage rates are the highest they’ve been in around a decade, and home prices have seen a meteoric rise in recent years as well,” WalletHub analyst John Kiernan said in the report. “Even small increases in home prices can lead to thousands of dollars in extra mortgage interest costs for homeowners, so it’s important to choose wisely when deciding where and when to buy a house.” Comparing the 50 states based on proprietary data from the third quarter of 2025 to the fourth quarter, WalletHub found that the northernmost state, Alaska, added the most mortgage debt during that time frame, in percentage terms. The average balance there rose by 2.52 percent to $248,013. Meanwhile, Alaska …
PARIS (AP) — French former President Nicolas Sarkozy maintained his innocence at an appeal hearing in Paris on Tuesday over his conspiracy conviction last year, saying that not a single cent from Libya helped fund his 2007 presidential campaign. “I owe the truth to the French people,” Sarkozy told a three-judge panel during a hearing in the case that led him to spend 20 days in prison before being granted release pending appeal. “I’m innocent,” he said. Sarkozy, 71, is challenging his conviction after being found guilty in September of criminal conspiracy. He was sentenced to five years in prison for his alleged part in a scheme to obtain funds from the government of then Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in exchange for political and diplomatic favors. Sarkozy has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and says the allegations are politically motivated. Sarkozy’s wife, supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, attended Tuesday’s hearing, which focused on his role as a conservative presidential candidate and then president from 2007 to 2012. The 12-week appeal trial, which began last month, will reexamine all of …
President Trump rejoiced in the death of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller. It is sadly part of a pattern for Trump. The film director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle; former Representative John Dingell; former Secretary of State Colin Powell; former Senator John McCain—Trump had something wildly inappropriate to say after the passing of each of them, and others too. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after Mueller’s death was announced on Saturday. This comment was not just indecent. It was also ungrateful. Trump owes Mueller a huge debt of gratitude. Mueller’s straight-arrow approach to law enforcement rescued Trump from a danger of his own making. Trump hates Mueller for the investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which was certainly embarrassing for Trump. But Mueller interpreted his mandate in ways that protected the president, and he delivered the best possible conclusion for Trump, stating in his report: “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in …
When is a compliment not a compliment? When you say a TV show or a film has “gone a bit Scooby-Doo”. This is meant to suggest it’s formulaic and faintly embarrassing, which makes what I’m about to write uncomfortable, but I believe Scooby-Doo kids grow up to be Scream-loving adults. Not ironically. Not guiltily. But properly, and with pride. This sounds insulting to both parties, I know. Scooby-Doo! Scream! One features a talking dog; the other a creepy guy who only talks on landlines. But they share a connection that runs deep (deeper than just Matthew Lillard starring as both Stu Macher and Shaggy). Because Scooby-Doo – especially the original 1969 Where Are You! version, before the franchise started shaking things up with guest stars and noisy puppy nephews – is a masterclass in horror-lite and mystery. Yes, it has its repeated idiosyncrasies. They split up. Velma loses her glasses at a pivotal moment. Scooby and Shaggy are chased by the bad guy. Sometimes they dress as French waiters for reasons no one ever questions …
Eurostar is refusing to honour expenses claims after a power failure in the tunnel stranded thousands of passengers last month. Our party of four was stuck at Brussels station when all trains to and from London were cancelled for 24 hours. Eurostar staff told us to find a hotel and handed out leaflets promising that accommodation, food and transport costs would be refunded. It directed us to an online rebooking page that showed no availability for two days. Its normal booking site showed seats on offer for the following day, which suggests it was prioritising new passengers over those who were stranded. We used the latter site to buy tickets at a cost of €1,230 (£1,072). I submitted my expenses claim and all I’ve received is a £120 voucher to offset against future travel on Eurostar. CD, London Others are reporting similar rebuffs on social media platforms after the power outage left thousands struggling to get home before New Year’s Eve. EU rail passenger rights regulations oblige rail operators to cover reasonable expenses in situations …
When my mother died of cancer, my aunt adopted me. She, too, died of cancer in 2024. At 26, I am now alone and struggling to deal with enormous, nonsensical energy bills from E.ON Next. In 2022, I discovered my aunt had been paying massively inflated bills for the flat I shared with her, so I had the account closed and a new one set up in my name. An E.ON agent took meter readings, a smart meter was installed, and a final bill sent showing the account was more than £6,000 in credit. E.ON wouldn’t let me have it in cash, so the credit was transferred to the new account and used to pay the bills for the next two years. Fast forward to 2024 and, after my aunt’s death, it deducted £3,360 from the credit for energy used since early 2022. I complained and, a month later, received a bill for £12,960 in the name of my late mother who had been the account holder before her death in 2015. This sum was …
I retired from the civil service five months ago and I’ve still not received my pension. I’ve complained to the Civil Service Pension Scheme (MyCSP) repeatedly, but it doesn’t reply. The Pensions Ombudsman says they need evidence that MyCSP has not responded to my complaint. How can I provide evidence of a failure to reply? PE, Manchester MyCSP was criticised for service failures in June by the National Audit Office after a steep rise in complaints. Delayed pension valuations and payments was one of the issues of concern. The company ran the scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office until Capita took over the contract this month. The Cabinet Office told me it was waiting for information from your employer. Your employer, meanwhile, told you this had been provided weeks ago. MyCSP claimed it delivered high standards of service, but did not comment on your experience. Either way, your backdated pension of £21,300 was paid six days after I queried the delay. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write …
