An open parliamentary seat in Dublin Central should be Sinn Féin’s for the taking. But the capital’s most famous mobster is on the ticket, too — and could determine the winner in Ireland’s complex voting system. May 20 5 mins read Source link
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start today’s Miami Grand Prix pole. Antonelli only finished sixth in the Sprint earlier on Saturday but delivered a time good enough for pole with his first effort in Q3. Antonelli’s lead at the top of the drivers’ standings was cut to seven points to his teammate George Russell after the Sprint but has the chance to extend his lead today. “It has been an amazing day to be on pole again,” Antonelli said. “It was a difficult start with the Sprint when it did not go our way but super happy with the recovery. I got a bit excited with the last lap in Q3 but the first lap was good enough and I am really happy with that.” Antonelli will be joined on the front row by Max Verstappen, who was the only driver to properly improve with his second and final run in Q3. “It is an incredible turnaround for us,” said Verstappen. “I really did not feel in control of the car up until this weekend. …
“This EU Commission machine just keeps going on and on and on,” said Merz at a September business event in Cologne. “Let me put it in somewhat vivid and figurative terms: We need to throw a spanner in the works of this machine in Brussels now, so that it stops.” A proposal in an earlier draft of the conservative strategy paper went even further than the latest version, threatening the EU’s purse strings by making member countries’ budget contributions conditional on the Commission’s success in cutting regulation. That proposal — which was likely deemed too radical — has since been dropped. For its part, the EU’s executive arm has attempted to cut back on regulations by putting forward a series of omnibus packages meant to simplify existing laws, especially regarding the Commission’s Green Deal. However, the German conservatives argue those measures are far from enough. Von der Leyen already clashed with capitals over cutting red tape ahead of the February EU summit in Alden Biesen. After Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz …
Charity shops are generally seen as a responsible way to get rid of unwanted belongings. In theory, donating items allows them to be reused and raises money for important causes. However, many charity shops struggle to make use of the donations they receive. The UK has more charity shops per person than any other country, handling hundreds of thousands of tonnes of used clothing every year in addition to a wide range of other household items. When goods are donated to charity shops, they are either sold to local customers to be reused or purchased by commercial companies and traded through complex international markets. An estimated 70-90% of donated goods follow these routes, with local traders reusing and recycling as much as possible. However, large quantities are also dumped and burned, resulting in environmental damage and waste. My ongoing research shows the challenges charity shops face in reusing donated goods. Charity shops are the primary outlet for used textiles in the UK: roughly half of all textiles currently collected for reuse and recycling are charity …
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed criminal charges against prediction market platform Kalshi, for allegedly operating an illegal gambling business in the state without a license and for election wagering. The 20-count complaint, filed in Maricopa County court on Tuesday, accuses the company of engaging in unlicensed gambling activities, claiming that the site “accepted bets from Arizona residents on a wide range of events,” including state elections, a practice that is illegal in Arizona. The complaint charged Kalshi with four counts of election wagering for accepting bets from Arizona residents on the 2028 presidential race, the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial race, the 2026 Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary, and the 2026 Arizona Secretary of State race. This is the first time a state has pursued such charges against the company, according to the Arizona Mirror, and marks a significant escalation in the battle between states and the prediction market industry. “Kalshi may brand itself as a ‘prediction market,’ but what it’s actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both …
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Democrats are scrambling to condemn Florida Rep. Randy Fine for his unapologetic defense of American pet ownership against radical Islamic demands to ban dogs as “unclean.” The firestorm erupted after New York Muslim activist Nerdeen Kiswani declared, “Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we [Muslims have] said all along, they are unclean [“najis”].” Kiswani later claimed, “Lmao at the Zionists frothing at the mouth at this, thinking they’re doing something. It’s obviously a joke I don’t care if you have a dog, I do care if your dog is shitting everywhere and you’re not cleaning it.” In response, Fine laid out the stark choice: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” For context, this is the leader of one of the key mainstream Muslim groups that supported Mamdani. pic.twitter.com/zcIs4tVyly — Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) February 15, 2026 pic.twitter.com/GVWZFm6D86 — Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) February 16, 2026 Democrats piled on Fine, with Rep. Ro Khanna …
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu leaves the Elysée Palace after a cabinet meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, France, December 22, 2025. STEPHANIE LECOCQ / REUTERS On Friday, January 9, two French political parties were filing no-confidence motions against President Emmanuel Macron’s government, ramping up pressure on his cabinet after months of deadlock. Neither the move from the far right and hard left is expected to garner enough votes to be a serious threat, but they show that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu still faces strong opposition from within the parliament that toppled his two predecessors. France has been mired in a political crisis since Macron in 2024 called snap polls, which he hoped would consolidate his majority but instead ended up in a deeply divided lower house. The no-confidence motions come despite Macron on Thursday saying France would vote against an EU trade deal that has upset French farmers. Opposition parties accused Macron of doing too little too late, as the accord is expected to be signed next week. Jordan Bardella, the president of …
