How Is The Market Feeling About Yum Brands?Raila Odinga of Kenya, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar are seeking to be elected as chairperson for the 55-member state African Union. They participated in a two-hour debate Friday in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in which they all advocated for two permanent seats for African countries in the U.N. Security Council to effectively represent the continent with the youngest population. Odinga said that two permanent seats with veto power were “a must for Africa” and that this was “only fair” since the continent has more than 50 countries. Randriamandrato urged member states to cease the opportunity and “speak with one voice on the choice of who will represent Africa in the UNSC.” The three are seeking to convince most African countries before the February election to succeed African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki, who has served for two terms. The African Union has faced several challenges that include conflict in member countries and political coups that have seen five member states expelled from the union, making regional security a major theme in Friday’s debate. Youssouf said that regional security could be enhanced if the resources for a regional standby force were increased to reduce the overreliance on foreign partnerships for resources. “When there is no unity of purpose among neighboring countries peace will be compromised,” Youseff said. Randriamandrato encouraged countries to take charge of their internal security while cautioning that foreign military bases should be “a thing of the past” because they “could be a source of conflict.” Despite the continent’s young population of 1.3 billion that is set to double by 2050, regional trade has faced challenges that were addressed in the Friday debate. Odinga said that Africa had a “huge domestic market” that it could leverage on for economic transformation by opening up opportunities for trade between African countries. Youssouf proposed a payment compensation system that would ensure countries don't lose out while trading in different currencies adding, “are we going to have a single currency, why not?” Randriamandrato said that regional economic blocs like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa had a huge role to play in easing inter-Africa trade. The African Union has several proposed reforms on its structure and leadership aimed at achieving its purpose, and all candidates promised to implement the reforms if elected. Youssouf said that key reforms in the union were facing a funding bottleneck and that “it has to change,” adding that he wouldn't impose it on member states but would “advocate for it.”Akello defies odds to clinch November Mug of the Month at Nyanza Golf Club
None(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump has promised to reduce government waste and employed wealthy businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the charge. So far, spending on federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies are prime targets for Musk and Ramaswamy, and a recent report shows just how widespread federal DEI spending has become. The report from Do No Harm shows 500 ways the Biden-Harris administration “infused DEI into the federal government.” Those examples include federal agencies starting dozens of equity training programs, doling out federal contracts and jobs based on race and gender, and teaching Americans more about their country’s racism, both past and present. The DEI explosion took off after Biden issued executive orders on his first day in office as well as another in June of 2021. The first executive order “established that affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government.” The second order established “that it is the policy of my Administration to cultivate a workforce that draws from the full diversity of the Nation.” Biden also issued other executive orders, including around gender and sexuality, to the same effect his first year in office. Those orders gave federal bureaucrats not only permission but actually direct orders to embrace DEI policies across the board. And Do No Harm’s report shows they did, full-throttle, citing 80 “Equity Action Plans” submitted by agencies that promised over 500 taxpayer-funded actions. Some of the actions are seemingly mild, such as the U.S. Social Security Administration tracking more racial data. Other examples of DEI policies, though, made the federal government the nation’s teacher. For example, a blog for the U.S. Treasury Department lectures Americans on racial inequality. More directly, the federal government began implementing training programs for many federal employees that fully embrace racial ideology labeled “woke” by its opponents. For instance, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission invested in training for employees to consider equity more in its regulatory decisions. Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! “Training will address how equity and environmental justice involves removing barriers underserved communities may face in the context of the Commission’s practices, processes, and policies,” FERC said in its Equity Action Plan. “Training also will address how, consistent with FERC’s mission and statutory duties, the Commission considers the impact of its actions on such communities. More specific trainings geared toward the responsibilities of different program offices and issue areas also may be identified or developed and offered.” Other actions seem to favor some groups over others. Changing the “percentage” of benefits received necessarily requires giving contracts, grants, or other federal resources to certain groups, almost always at the expense of white Americans, even more often white men. For example, the American Battle Monuments Commissions in its Equity Action Plan called for “expanding the percentage of U.S.-based contracted goods and services awarded to minority-owned, women-owned, and service disabled veteran-owned enterprises.” In fact, the ABMC pledged to pay a worker for this sole purpose. In another instance, the Smithsonian Institute pledged to recruit more Black and indigenous interns. “One of the simplest ways to ensure equity and accessibility in internships is to provide a livable stipend and advertise it clearly in promotion materials,” the federal group said in its Equity Action Plan. “Many units include a statement directly in their internship description about their commitment to equity. They also are intentional about making the application process simple and transparent, offering access services for interviews and allowing for multiple formats in place of a required essay.” The Smithsonian Institution , the federal steward of America’s past, also promised to begin promoting a historical framework that emphasizes American racism in the past and today. The federal group pledged to “Address the historical roots and contemporary impacts of race and racism in the United States and globally through interdisciplinary scholarship, creative partnerships, dialogue, education, and engagement.” The Center Square has reported on other examples of DEI policies and grants becoming the norm in recent years as well, though much of this kind of spending began before the Biden-Harris administration took power. Those include:A transport aircraft carrying humanitarian aid supplies sent by the Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the State Atomic Energy Corporation-Rosatom and the Aquarius Group of Companies on behalf of the Russian Federation for the rehabilitation of Myanmar’s areas affected by floods triggered by Typhoon Yagi arrived at Nay Pyi Taw Airport yesterday morning. The handover ceremony of the humanitarian aid was held at Nay Pyi Taw Airport, attended by Chairman of the Union Civil Service Board Chairman of the Myanmar-Russia Friendship Association U Aung Thaw, Deputy Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement U Soe Kyi, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Disaster Management Department, and officials from the Russian Embassy to Myanmar. At the ceremony, the Russian Ambassador to Myanmar, Mr Iskander Azizov, and an official on behalf of Russian donor organizations explained the purpose of donating humanitarian aid, and Deputy Minister U Soe Kyi expressed gratitude for the donations and presented a certificate of appreciation. A total of 35 tonnes of humanitarian aid materials from ministries and companies of the Russian Federation will be delivered to the flood-affected areas as quickly as possible. — MNA/TKO
I make HUNDREDS renting out my drive to football fans on match days – it’s so easy & I barely need to lift a fingerJohnson 0-1 0-0 0, Lampkin 7-13 3-3 17, Deck 5-7 2-3 13, Hardaway 3-5 2-4 9, Wooten 9-13 3-6 23, Talley 3-5 0-0 7, Brackens 0-0 0-0 0, Brannon 0-0 0-0 0, McGrew 0-2 0-0 0, Moore 0-1 0-0 0, Price 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 27-48 10-16 69 Augmon 1-2 0-0 2, McFarland 0-1 0-0 0, Blair 4-12 7-7 18, Cooke 2-8 1-2 5, Love 6-16 6-6 19, Bostock 0-4 0-0 0, Chevalier 1-2 0-0 2, Merchant 3-11 1-4 7, Totals 17-56 15-19 53 3-Point Goals_North Texas 5-13 (Deck 1-2, Hardaway 1-2, Wooten 2-5, Talley 1-1, McGrew 0-2, Price 0-1), Houston 4-20 (Blair 3-6, Cooke 0-2, Love 1-6, Bostock 0-2, Chevalier 0-1, Merchant 0-3). Assists_North Texas 17 (Hardaway 5), Houston 3 (Love 2). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_North Texas 38 (Lampkin 10), Houston 26 (Love 8). Total Fouls_North Texas 18, Houston 18. Technical Fouls_None. A_864.
Almost one year into her reign, it looks like Australian-born Queen Mary of Denmark may be ascending to a prestigious new role: podcast host. The Danish queen announced this week that her charity, the Mary Foundation, is launching a podcast called Lonely Youth. The three-part series inspired by Denmark’s high rates of youth loneliness promises to “give an in-depth insight into the nuances of loneliness by mixing [expert analysis] and personal narratives from young people”. Though we don’t yet know if she will feature in each episode, Queen Mary announced the news via Instagram, pointing out that a recent study found 73 per cent of Danes, aged 16-19, experience loneliness and 17 per cent of those, between 16-24, feel “very lonely”. “These are heavy numbers that we need to do something about,” the post read. At first glance, it might seem strange that a 52-year-old monarch would be the go-to person to reach disconnected youth – and stranger still that they would do so via a medium often associated with influencers, true-crime detectives and young men in basements. But, this is actually the latest in a long line of royal podcasting projects (and no, it didn’t start with Meghan Markle). The rise of royal podcasting Dr Lisa Beckett, a lecturer at the University of New England researching royalty and popular culture, says it was only a matter of time before royal family members entered the podcast market. “Royals tend to be later than everybody else entering these spaces,” she says, “but [engaging in new mediums] is one of the ways they stay relevant.” And, as a kind of celebrity (“they have been since the time of the Georgians”, she notes), this kind of direct contact with audiences is expected of them. “Queen Elizabeth could get away with quite a bit of distance because she started her reign so long ago, but the younger royals are expected to act more modern and to be in this space ... That distance between celebrities and fans has been shrinking, particularly with social media.” India Hicks, goddaughter of King Charles, was the first notable name to get in on the action. The India Hicks Podcast , which debuted in 2019, offered a “wonderfully intimate look” into her life and her “extraordinary family”. It consisted of conversations about “movie stars, matadors and maharajas” with her mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, the late Queen Elizabeth’s former lady-in-waiting. A couple of years later, Princess Eugenie co-hosted Floodlight : an interview podcast about modern slavery made with her charity, the Anti-Slavery Collective. Then came Meghan Markle’s Archetypes. In this much-hyped 2022 series, the Duchess of Sussex spoke to some of the biggest names in popular culture (including Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Serena Williams) about the “labels that try to hold women back”. The following year Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, the Duchess of York, debuted a chat podcast with her friend Sarah Thomson, and Queen Camilla launched The Queen’s Reading Room podcast. The latter, an extension of her literacy charity of the same name, features interviews with authors and prominent book-lovers such as Dame Joanna Lumley and Richard E. Grant. But Camilla is only featured for a couple of minutes per episode. Though podcasts are an intimate medium, as Dr Beckett points out, they also enable royals to maintain a great deal of control – certainly more so than in a traditional TV interview. “They have to be careful because they’ve tried different tactics like this,” Beckett says. “In 1969, Queen Elizabeth actually allowed for a documentary of her home life. It was broadcast on the BBC once, then she realised it was a mistake. It let people in too much into her personal life, and she actually banned it from being ever played again.” (Decades later, it leaked on YouTube .) In 1987, younger members of the British royal family also competed in the TV game show It’s a Royal Knockout alongside celebrities, running around in costumes doing obstacle courses for charity. “People thought it was a disaster,” Beckett says. “Royals are not like other celebrities, they have to act a certain way and maintain certain standards ... but at the same time be ‘normal enough’ that we [relate to] them.” Moral influencers or ‘f---ing grifters’? So, do people actually care about this exclusive royal content or are they content just watching The Crown ? The most successful of the bunch is undoubtedly Meghan Markle’s Archetypes. The show debuted in the top spot on Spotify in Britain, the US, Canada, Ireland, India, Australia and New Zealand. But it also lost a lot of steam by the end of the season, and Meghan and Harry’s Archewell Audio “mutually agreed” to leave Spotify soon after. Meghan Markle made one season of Archetypes , in collaboration with Spotify. Credit: Their initial deal reportedly cost $US25 million ($38.5 million), and The Wall Street Journal reported the couple had failed to meet “productivity benchmarks” to justify the sum. Though their 2020 agreement promised “a multi-year partnership ... to produce podcasts and shows” (multiple), nothing else materialised. Bloomberg reported that Harry had pitched a number of ideas, including a show in which he interviewed “controversial guests such as Vladimir Putin, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump about their early formative years”. Celebrating their exit from the company, Spotify executive Bill Simmons went so far to call the pair “f---ing grifters” on his own podcast. He had also previously criticised Prince Harry, saying: “Why are we listening to you? Nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the royal family, and you just complain about them.” Dr Beckett believes it is a good thing, however, when royals publicly lend themselves to causes. Whether it’s Princess Eugenie with modern slavery or Queen Mary with youth loneliness – or, historically, Princess Diana with AIDS – “royalty adds cachet”. “When they get involved, it really gives the charity or the cause a lot of support and a lot of attention,” she says. At the very least, she adds, “It gets the attention of the media.” Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday .
A SCOTTISH club's preparations for their crunch Scottish Cup clash took a turn today when their bus broke down on their way to the match. But that didn't stop them from pulling off an away upset to book their place in the fourth round . Advertisement 3 Livingston allowed another club to use their bus Credit: Eoin Montgomery 3 Fans spotted on the bus after it had broken down Credit: Eoin Montgomery Lowland League side Broxburn Athletic faced what was already a long trek to Stranraer for their third round showdown today. But the trip would have felt like a lifetime for Steve Pittman and his players after they were left stranded at the side of the road on their way to the game. Pittman, 57, must have got in contact with his old friend and colleague David Martindale in the lead up to the tie as Livingston allowed the fifth-tier side to use their team bus - with Livi playing at home against Brora Rangers . Pittman is the father of Lions legend Scott as well, who is the club's all-time record top flight appearance holder with 124. Advertisement read more football stories BOO BHOYS Brendan Rodgers recalls Celtic boo boys with Santa quip after Ross County rout PERTH GLORY St Johnstone vs Rangers: Get up to £40 in free football bets with talkSPORT BET But although it seemed like the perfect plan for Broxburn, it ended in disaster on their way to Dumfries and Galloway. Thankfully Pittman and his players still managed to make it to the stadium with plenty of time before their cup clash. But they might not have been so lucky if they didn't get a hold of a supporters' group who were happy to vacate to ensure their heroes could arrive safely and on time. Broxburn fan Eoin Montgomery shared pictures of the broken down bus and revealed their predicament on social media . Advertisement Most read in Football IN THE HAT Full list of teams in Scottish Cup fourth round draw as Prem big guns enter Exclusive SOLD FIRM Scott Brown's stunning new £2m mansion used to belong to Rangers supremo FAB FINISH Rangers loan flop scores stunner as he and unsung Scotland star take down Barca CELTIC 5 ROSS COUNTY 0 Hoops stun visitors with FIVE first half-goals despite six changes He said: "Livingston FC loaned Broxburn their team bus for the players to take to Stranraer today. "It broke down, so we have had to get off our supporters bus and swap with them. "Currently waiting at the side of the motorway ." He later posted a picture outside Stranraer's stadium before kick-off, saying: " We got there in the end ." Advertisement It was all worth it in the end as Broxburn pulled off an upset to beat the League Two outfit 2-1. Jonathan Page opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half before Elliot Dunlop levelled it in the second period to send the game to extra-time. But it was Broxburn who took the lead for the second time in the clash on the 97th minute with Nicholas Locke finding the back of the net to seal the win . 3 Fans arriving at the stadium after the delay Credit: Eoin Montgomery Advertisement Keep up to date with ALL t h e latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football pageDays after separation from ex-wife Saira Banu, AR Rahman takes a BIG step, sends legal notice to...
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