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Portugal to Hold Snap Election in March After Probe Toppled Prime Minister
Portugal to Hold Snap Election in March After Probe Toppled Prime Minister
Portugal will face an early election on March 10 after Prime Minister Antonio Costa unexpectedly resigned on Tuesday
2023-11-10 05:21
Heather Dubrow calls out Tamra Judge for turning fellow casts against her in 'RHOC' Season 17 Reunion
Heather Dubrow calls out Tamra Judge for turning fellow casts against her in 'RHOC' Season 17 Reunion
Heather Dubrow claimed that Tamra Judge said 'something unkind' about her in every episode of Season 17
2023-10-05 10:57
In desperate bid for cash, the Treasury is auctioning one-day bills
In desperate bid for cash, the Treasury is auctioning one-day bills
For the first time since 2007, the Treasury Department is auctioning bills that mature in one day. The department is set to auction $15 billion worth of one-day cash management bills on Friday that will be issued on June 5.
2023-06-02 05:52
Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his presidency?
Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his presidency?
Donald Trump is leading the field to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee once again in 2024, his supporters apparently undeterred by his mounting legal problems – or the 24-hour circus of his first-term – and keen to give him another shot at the White House, such is their animosity to incumbent Joe Biden. None of Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Tim Scott or any of the other GOP stragglers are polling close to the former commander-in-chief as of summer 2023, despite the fact that Mr Trump has already been indicted twice this year and is staring down the barrel of a potential third and fourth. Having already stepped out to appeal not guilty at two arraignment hearings in New York and Miami over the alleged misrepresentation of his business records to conceal hush money payments and the alleged hoarding of classified documents in his Mar-a-Lago bathroom, the former reality TV star could now face charges over his role in inciting the Capitol riot of 6 January 2021 and, potentially, for attempting to influence the 2020 vote count in Georgia by pressuring state officials. None of which appears to discourage his loyal fanbase, who have been prepared to overlook the myriad disappointments of Mr Trump’s first tenure in the Oval Office, his historic double impeachment and his disastrous midterms picks last November to cheer him on at rallies, splash out on merchandise and generously donate to his campaign. While more traditional conservatives are ready to move on, the MAGA movement remains significant and its members are all too ready to cheerily swallow their idol’s baseless claims that the Biden administration has “weaponised” the US justice system against an innocent man in order to thwart the “American comeback” he has promised. Just in case you feel tempted to look back on the years 2017 to 2021 through rose-tinted spectacles, here is a refresher on precisely what happened during that angry whirlwind of a presidency, which began with government-by-Twitter and ended with the unprecedented and disgraceful spectacle of a president impeached not once but twice. House speaker Nancy Pelosi first announced she was launching an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump on 24 September 2019 in response to a complaint raised against him by an anonymous CIA whistleblower. The issue related to a call the 45th US president had placed with Ukraine’s new president Volodymyr Zelensky (a great deal more famous now than he was then) on 25 July that year, in which the American appeared to proposition his counterpart in Eastern Europe with a quid pro quo. Mr Trump hinted that $400m in congressionally-approved US military aid to Kyiv to help fend off Russian aggression in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine would be withheld unless Mr Zelensky’s government launched a politically embarrassing anti-corruption probe into Mr Trump’s own domestic rival, one Joseph R Biden, who was then leading the Democratic field to challenge him in 2020. “I would like you to do us a favour though…” was how the president introduced his condition on the call, pressuring Mr Zelensky to pursue a conspiracy theory alleging that Mr Biden, while serving as US vice president to Barack Obama, had sought the dismissal of a Ukrainian prosecutor investigating a local gas company, Burisma, on whose board his troubled son Hunter Biden sat, a matter already pursued by Mr Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Following Ms Pelosi’s bombshell announcement, the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees began interviewing State Department, Pentagon and National Security Council (NSC) officials behind closed doors throughout October, peacing the truth together from their depositions before summoning several back to testify in public across a series of dramatic mid-November hearings. The inquiry’s public phase introduced a memorable cast of characters, including former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, Ukraine charge d’affaires Bill Taylor, displaced Durhamite and Russia expert Dr Fiona Hill, the nattily bowtied George Kent, vice presidential aide Jennifer Williams, decorated NSC director Lt Col Alexander Vindman in full dress uniform and ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland, a smirking ex-hotelier who had donated $1m to the Trump campaign for the privilege of ending up in the mess. By and large, the witnesses proved themselves to be impressive and principled experts in their fields and made fools of the MAGA Republicans attempting to pick holes in their testimony – Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan, Doug Collins, Elise Stefanik and Louie Gohmert among them. Mr Trump, predictably, spent his time denouncing the proceedings on Twitter as a “scam” and a second “witch hunt” following on from Robert Mueller’s investigation of his alleged ties to Russia, even engaging in some live witness intimidation when he tweeted nastily about Ms Yovanovitch as she gave evidence. The House went on to formally accuse the president on two counts, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, on 10 December. Eight days later, representatives backed both articles, casting their votes largely along party lines and pushing the matter forward to a trial in the Republican-held Senate. The Democrats, led by California congressman Adam Schiff, made their case admirably but, in the end, only Mitt Romney dared to break ranks and vote for Mr Trump’s conviction in the upper chamber, despite some heavy signalling from “rebel” GOP senators Lamar Alexander, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins that they might join him, before hopelessly bottling it. Impeached but not convicted, Mr Trump was free to carry on regardless. Ms Collins’ excuse that she believed he had “learned his lesson” from the Zelensky affair would later prove to be an even more laughable contention than it had sounded when she first uttered it. The other side of his disastrous mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, a summer of Black Lives Matter demonstrations over the police murder of George Floyd and his comprehensive defeat in the 2020 presidential election to Mr Biden, Mr Trump was impeached for a history-making second time on 13 January 2021 when the House found that he had incited the attempted insurrection at the US Capitol a week earlier by leading his disappointed supporters on with the “Big Lie” that only (non-existent) mass voter fraud had stopped him securing a second term. The tragic events of 6 January – on which a mob of QAnon zealots, Proud Boys and Oath Keepers stormed the legislative complex to try to stop the certification of the election results, five people were killed, a gallows was erected to hang Mr Pence and Congress was attacked for the first time since it was set alight by British soldiers in 1814 – are well documented. In its aftermath, Mr Trump, who declined to call off his supporters, preferring instead to watch the “American carnage” he had predicted at his inauguration finally unfold on live TV, was booted off social media and the House moved quickly to impeach him for an unheard-of second time, passing an article accusing him of incitement to insurrection. Speaker Pelosi said as she cast her vote to impeach that the president represented “a clear and present danger” so long as he remained in the Oval Office and accused him of trying to “repeal reality” in challenging the election result. The vote passed 232-197 in the lower chamber but, again, the Senate granted him an acquittal on 13 February, with only seven Republicans crossing the aisle to join the 50 Democrats in demanding accountability – not enough to land the two-thirds majority needed. Had just 10 more listened to their consciences and joined the rebellion, the US Constitution would have barred Mr Trump from ever running for high office again, ruling as it does that “judgement in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honour, trust or profit under the United States”. Twice impeached but convicted on neither occasion, Mr Trump was entirely free to announce a fresh bid for the White House, as he did last November, seemingly as untroubled by burning shame as ever. Read More Trump news – live: Georgia grand jury could weigh conspiracy charge as ex-NYPD boss hands docs to Jan 6 probe Mark Meadows laughed off Trump’s claims of election fraud in text to White House attorney, says report Unanswered questions about Trump’s looming January 6 indictment What is an indictment? Donald Trump facing third of 2023 over Capitol riot Donald Trump is the first former president arrested on federal charges. Can he still run in 2024?
2023-07-26 18:49
Lawsuit blaming Tesla's Autopilot for driver's death can go to trial, judge rules
Lawsuit blaming Tesla's Autopilot for driver's death can go to trial, judge rules
A jury should decide whether Tesla and Elon Musk oversold the electric car company’s Autopilot system and caused the fatal crash of a man who engaged it and took his hands off the steering wheel
2023-11-23 06:24
Deni Avdija agrees to 4-year, $55M extension with the Wizards, AP source says
Deni Avdija agrees to 4-year, $55M extension with the Wizards, AP source says
A person with knowledge of the deal says Deni Avdija has agreed to a $55 million, four-year extension with the Washington Wizards
2023-10-24 00:21
Excel Dryer Leads the Charge With Upgraded Electrostatic HEPA Filtration in All Hand Dryer Models
Excel Dryer Leads the Charge With Upgraded Electrostatic HEPA Filtration in All Hand Dryer Models
EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 9, 2023--
2023-08-09 22:28
The inspiration behind Australia’s shot at home World Cup glory
The inspiration behind Australia’s shot at home World Cup glory
Australia only have to look to last summer and England’s success at the Euros for evidence of how seismic victory on home soil could be. While they are sharing hosting duties with neighbours New Zealand, this tournament is Australia’s biggest sporting occasion since the 2000 Olympic Games and the Matildas will have no shortage of motivation as they look to inspire the next generation in the sport-obsessed nation. Luckily for Australia, they have a star who appears to be born to handle the pressure and expectation of a major tournament in Sam Kerr. Crucially, after a patchy couple of years of results, the Matildas have found form as a team ahead of the World Cup and claimed the scalp of becoming the first team to defeat Sarina Wiegman’s England in April - a result that ended the Lionesses’ 30-match winning streak. It announced Australia as contenders for the World Cup, where they will also get the bonus of the home crowd that proved so important to England’s victory at the Euros, while a core of players who feature in the Women’s Super League, including Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, Alanna Kennedy and Mary Fowler, ensures Kerr will also have plenty of support. The Matildas may need it after landing in what is widely considered to be the ‘group of death’ at this World Cup. The co-hosts will face significant competition from the Olympic champions Canada, the top-seeded team in pot two, while 11-time African champions Nigeria will carry threat and were the top-seeded side in pot four, even if they come into the World Cup in disarray. The Republic of Ireland are competing in their first World Cup and will be determined to show they are not just making up the numbers in what is an intriguing group, another element of which is that England will face the runners-up if the Lionesses win Group D. Australia Confirmed squad Goalkeepers: Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham), Teagan Micah (Rosengard), Lydia Williams (Brighton) Defenders: Ellie Carpenter (Lyon), Steph Catley (Arsenal), Charlotte Grant (Vittsjo GIK), Clare Hunt (Western Sydney Wanderers), Alanna Kennedy (Manchester City), Aivi Luik (BK Hacken), Courtney Nevin (Leicester City on loan from Hammarby), Clare Polkinghorne (Vittsjo GIK) Midfielders: Alex Chidiac (Racing Louisville), Kyra Cooney-Cross (Hammarby IF), Katrina Gorry (Vittsjo GIK), Emily van Egmond (San Diego Wave), Clare Wheeler (Everton), Tameka Yallop (SK Brann) Forwards: Caitlin Foord (Arsenal), Mary Fowler (Manchester City) Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Hayley Raso (Free agent), Kyah Simon (Free agent), Cortnee Vine (Sydney FC) Group fixtures (all times BST) Thursday 20 July: Australia vs Republic of Ireland (11:00, Stadium Australia) Thursday 27 July: Australia vs Nigeria (11:00, Brisbane Stadium) Monday 31 July: Canada vs Australia (11:00, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium) Star in the team There’s no question about this. Sam Kerr is the face of the World Cup and the star of the Australia team. As the most lethal striker in the world, who always seems to deliver on the big occasion, the Chelsea forward could be the difference for the Matildas as they look to advance past the quarter-finals for the first time. The 29-year-old makes the hosts a genuine contender. The coach Tony Gustavsson knows what winning culture looks like. The Swede was an assistant coach on Jill Ellis’ coaching staff as the USA won the World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and took charge of the Matildas in 2021. Initial results were patchy and hardly suggested Australia were ready for a home World Cup, but their form turned at the end last year as they thrashed Sweden, the Olympic finalists, 4-0. Gustavsson wants his teams to press, play with pace, and be strong at set-pieces. What are their chances? Australia have played at seven World Cups but are yet to reach a semi-final. Their defeat to Norway at the last-16 four years ago was considered to be a major disappointment after three successive quarter-final appearances. In front of their home fans, the Matildas will be setting their expectations much, much higher this time around in what is Australia’s biggest sporting event since the 2000 Olympics. With Kerr, they have the quality to go a long way. Canada Confirmed squad Goalkeepers: Sabrina D’Angelo (Arsenal), Lysianne Proulx (SCU Torreense), Kailen Sheridan (San Diego Wave). Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea), Allysha Chapman (Houston Dash), Vanessa Gilles (Lyon), Ashley Lawrence (Chelsea), Jayde Riviere (Manchester United), Gabrielle Carle (Washington Spirit) and Shelina Zadorsky (Tottenham). Midfielders: Quinn (OL Reign), Simi Awujo (University of Southern California), Jessie Fleming (Chelsea), Julia Grosso (Juventus), Sophie Schmidt (Houston Dash) Forwards: Jordyn Huitema (OL Reign), Cloe Lacasse (Benfica), Clarissa Larisey (BK Hacken), Adriana Leon (Portland Thorns), Nichelle Prince (Houston Dash), Deanne Rose (Reading), Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns), Evelyne Viens (Kristianstads) Group fixtures (all times BST) Friday 21 July: Nigeria vs Canada (03:30, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium) Saturday 27 July: Canada vs Republic of Ireland (13:00, Perth Rectangular Stadium) Monday 31 July: Canada vs Australia (11:00, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium) One to watch Christine Sinclair has been setting records for most of her life. At 40, and now into the 22nd year of her international career, the striker is set to become the first player to play at six World Cups - although Brazil’s Marta could later equal that record this tournament. In Australia, Sinclair and Marta also have the chance to become the first player to score at six different World Cups. Sinclair already holds the record for most international goals with an astonishing 190 in 323 appearances. The coach Bev Priestman is the English coach who led Canada to their first major international title at the 2021 Olympics. A former assistant to Phil Neville with the Lionesses, the 36-year-old from County Durham is regarded as one of the best in the world. Priestman describes herself as an attacking coach, but her success with Canada came when she improved the team’s defensive structure and organisation. What are their chances? Canada have a strange history of underperforming at World Cups. Despite winning a medal at each of the last three Olympics, Canada have only ever reached one World Cup semi-final. They were beaten by Sweden in the last-16 in 2019, but then defeated Sweden in the gold medal match in Tokyo in 2021. Which version of Canada will turn up in Australia? Nigeria Confirmed squad Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC), Tochukwu Oluehi (Hakkarigucu Spor), Yewande Balogun (AS Saint-Etienne) Defenders: Onome Ebi (Abia Angels), Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves), Glory Ogbonna (Besiktas), Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City), Rofiat Imuran (Stade de Reims), Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash) Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims) Midfielders: Halimatu Ayinde (Rosengard FC), Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid), Toni Payne (Sevilla), Christy Ucheibe (Benfica), Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels), Jennifer Echegini (Florida State University) Forwards: Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville), Gift Monday (UDG Tenerife), Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC), Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona), Desire Oparanozie (Wuhan Chegu Jianghan), Francisca Ordega (CSKA Moscow), Esther Okoronkwo (AS Saint-Etienne) Group fixtures (all times BST) Friday 21 July: Nigeria vs Canada (03:30, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium) Saturday 27 July: Canada vs Republic of Ireland (13:00, Perth Rectangular Stadium) Monday 31 July: Republic of Ireland vs Nigeria (11:00, Brisbane Stadium) Star in the team Asisat Oshoala doesn’t just have a claim to be the greatest African player in the world, but the best of all time. The Nigeria striker and Barcelona star has won the African player of the year award four times and has hit at least 20 goals in each of her last two seasons in Spain. The Super Falcons may have been drawn in the group of death, but Oshoala will be a threat to both Australia and Canada. The coach Nigeria are 11-time winners of the Africa Cup of Nations so when the team failed to even reach the final last year, fingers were pointed at the coach, Randy Waldrum. The 66-year-old American kept his job ahead of the World Cup and although results have since improved - including a 3-0 win against New Zealand in April - he is set to depart after the tournament and is in open dispute with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Before the World Cup, Waldrum told the On The Whistle Podcast that he had not received seven months of pay, while also criticising the NFF’s over their lack of support. In response, a NFF communications director called Waldrum the “worst Super Falcons coach in history”. What are their chances? Nigeria have a proud record of playing at every World Cup and this will be their ninth appearance since 1991. They have made it out of the group twice but have yet to win a knockout stage match in the competition - though Nigeria’s quarter-final appearance in 1999 remains the best result ever recorded by an African team at the Women’s World Cup. But the challenge of overcoming the chaos off the pitch, let alone the group of death, suggests Nigeria are unlikely to match it in Australia. Republic of Ireland Confirmed squad Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (unattached) Defenders: Heather Payne (Florida State), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Aine O’Gorman (Shamrock Rovers), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Claire O’Riordan (Celtic), Diane Caldwell (Reading), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham), Megan Connolly (unattached) Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Lily Agg (London City Lionesses), Ciara Grant (Hearts), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Sinead Farrelly (Gotham City NYC), Ruesha Littlejohn (unattached) Forwards: Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses), Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit) Group fixtures (all times BST) Thursday 20 July: Australia vs Republic of Ireland (11:00, Stadium Australia) Saturday 27 July: Canada vs Republic of Ireland (13:00, Perth Rectangular Stadium) Monday 31 July: Republic of Ireland vs Nigeria (11:00, Brisbane Stadium) Key player Katie McCabe. The Arsenal fan favourite famously wears her heart on her sleeve and embodies what Ireland will require in Australia: defensive nous, aggression, a lot of effort, and quality when it counts. McCabe has it all and alongside Denise O’Sullivan will be key. The coach Vera Pauw may have guided Ireland to their first World Cup, but the Dutch coach will have won few fans with her style of play. The experienced Pauw has not shied away from favouring a “low block” and an ultra-defensive 5-4-1 formation. After a newspaper column from former international Karen Duggan suggested the coach should ditch her conservative approach, Pauw responded: “It is not that I love a deep block, I love winning.” Pauw strongly denies allegations she body-shamed players while working as a coach at the Houston Dash, after being named in a report on misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League. The report claimed the Dutchwoman "shamed players for their weight" and "attempted to exert excessive control over eating habits". Speaking before the tournament, Pauw said: “I will never win from a lie. That is clear now. I have to live with it and carry it with me for the rest of my life I’m afraid." What are their chances? Ireland claimed their first World Cup qualification thanks to a narrow win over Scotland in the European qualifiers. They claimed their spot for Australia and New Zealand as the lowest-ranked European nation, and landed in the one of the toughest possible groups by drawing hosts Australia, Canada - the top seed in pot two, and Nigeria - the top seed in pot four. Extending their debut to the knockout stages appears unlikely. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match in UK Sam Kerr ready for her ‘Cathy Freeman moment’ at Women’s World Cup ‘A natural leader’: How Millie Bright became England’s ‘voice’ for the Women’s World Cup ‘Empowered’ England won’t be distracted by bonus row, Lucy Bronze insists Germany and Alexandra Popp are out for revenge - the World Cup is the perfect chance Can Sweden turn heartbreak into Women’s World Cup history?
2023-07-19 15:21
NYC Congestion Pricing, First in the US, Gets Final Approval
NYC Congestion Pricing, First in the US, Gets Final Approval
A plan to charge motorists driving into New York City’s midtown Manhattan received final federal approval, according to
2023-06-27 04:21
Yevgeny Prigozhin: Man who led Putin mutiny pictured in pants in tent during exile
Yevgeny Prigozhin: Man who led Putin mutiny pictured in pants in tent during exile
Less than a month after leaving the Kremlin quaking as his Wagner mercenaries marched on Moscow, leaked photographs of Yevgeny Prigozhin in his underwear in a tent have been leaked online amid an ongoing campaign to discredit the exiled mutineer. As Vladimir Putin – whose grip on power is perceived by many to have been severely weakened by the popular mercenary boss’s armed rebellion – sought to insist that Wagner had never actually existed, images showing a dishevelled-looking Mr Prigozhin in a state of semi-nudity appeared on Telegram. In the latest bizarre twist of the saga, the president insisted to the Kommersant newspaper on Friday that the private military company “simply doesn't exist” as a legal entity under Russian law – while his emboldened ally Alexander Lukashenko claimed that some of the exiled mercenaries were now training Belarus’s military. While the latter’s remarks indicated the enactment of at least part of the deal struck by Mr Lukashenko and Mr Prigozhin for him and his fighters to relocate to Belarus, halting their armed progress less than 125 miles from Moscow last month, efforts to undermine the mercenary leader appeared to continue. Just days after a pro-Kremlin media outlet published photographs supposedly seized in a raid at Mr Prigozhin’s St Petersburg mansion showing him donning various bizarre disguises such as lengthy wigs and stick-on beards, a new image began circulating on Russian social media spaces on Friday. The picture appears to show Mr Prigozhin sitting in a tent wearing Y-fronts and a T-shirt, sparking futher speculation over his whereabouts after weeks of uncertainty. In claims appearing to chime with Minsk’s assertion that Wagner fighters are instructing the Belarusian military at a camp near Osipovichi – some 50 miles from the capital – the pro-Russian Telegram account which first posted the image claimed its metadata showed it was taken on 12 July, according to monitoring group Belarusian Gayun, which noted similarities with other photos from the camp. The floorboards in the tent appear to match those shown in photographs taken last week during an official tour of the formerly disused Osipovichi camp, at which satellite images reported by Radio Free Europe and the BBC appeared to show scores of newly erected tents and other structures. Despite the activity at the camp, and potential presence of Mr Prigozhin, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg had told reporters as recently as Tuesday that the alliance had not witnessed “any deployment or movement of any Wagner forces into Belarus”. Despite it being a long-favoured foreign policy tool of his own creation, Mr Putin appears to have urgently sought to defang the private military company since its fighters seized the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don last month and threatened Moscow. In remarks denouncing the aborted mutiny as “high treason”, the Russian president toed a cautious line in a televised address last month in which he claimed the mercenaries – whose prestige on the battlefield in Ukraine has boosted their domestic popularity – had been “tricked into a criminal adventure”, without specifically referring to those under Mr Prigozhin. Criticising what he called “a stab in the back of the troops and the people of Russia”, Mr Putin insisted however that Wagner troops were free to join the Russian military, return to their families, or leave Russia for Belarus. The extraordinary mutiny came after Wagner withdrew from Bakhmut, which it seized from Ukraine after months of bloody attrition in the frontline Donetsk city, with Mr Prigozhin having frequently voiced his anger at an alleged lack of ammunition and coordination by Russian military leaders. The 62-year-old’s vitriolic criticisms drew surprise from many observers given their apparent disregard for the Kremlin’s typically rigid grip on the narrative of its war in Ukraine, and were widely interpreted as a sign of the former convict’s growing political stature within Russia. A former hot dog vendor, Mr Prigozhin rose to prominence as he garnered the attention and favour of the Russian president while working as a restauranteur, with both men having grown up in St Petersburg. He benefitted from large state loans while expanding his business under Mr Putin’s gaze, winning millions of pounds in contracts to provide meals to public schools, the Kremlin and Russian military – also drawing the attention of jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. Claiming to have served 10 years in jail during the final throes of the Soviet Union, reportedly after the violent robbery of a woman whom he choked unconscious, Mr Prigozhin was permitted by Mr Putin to create Wagner in 2014, despite Russia’s constitution outlawing such groups. Following exploits in the Donbas and Syria, while also fighting for national leaders and warlords in Africa in return for lucrative sums and assets, Wagner has become a household name during the Ukraine war as a result of its relative prestige in comparison with the faltering Russian military – and its apparent brutality. While Mr Prigozhin’s recruitment drive in prisons fuelling “human wave” attacks deemed largely responsible for Wagner’s gains in Bakhmut, footage has also circulated of its fighters bludgeoning an alleged deserter to death with a sledgehammer, symbolism since adopted by Mr Prigozhin himself. Having long sought plausible deniability on the subject of Wagner, in seeking to discredit Mr Prigozhin following his shortlived mutiny, Mr Putin reversed his position by seeking to claim ultimate responsibility for the group, as he insisted the fighters’ wages had come out of state coffers. Read More Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘dead or in prison’ after Putin meeting, former US commander claims Wagner mercenaries are in Belarus and training the country’s soldiers Putin wants to attend an August summit. Host country South Africa doesn't want to have to arrest him Russian general says he has been fired for telling truth about dire situation on Ukraine frontlines
2023-07-15 22:57
Fortnite x LEGO Collaboration Release Date Finally Confirmed
Fortnite x LEGO Collaboration Release Date Finally Confirmed
The Fortnite x LEGO collaboration is finally coming on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at 9 a.m. ET as its own game mode with exclusive LEGO-themed rewards.
2023-11-17 00:58
MLB standings based on luck: Cardinals objectively unlucky, everything's going Marlins way
MLB standings based on luck: Cardinals objectively unlucky, everything's going Marlins way
When you look at the MLB standings through the lens of luck, the St. Louis Cardinals have a real gripe while the Marlins would change nothing.Luck is hard to quantify, at least in the context of human reality. You may feel unlucky, but you can't actually prove that your luck is any better o...
2023-06-13 12:46