LABOUR’S big reset put Sir Keir Starmer firmly back in his comfort zone – campaigning. Campaigning is the only time Starmer reveals flashes of inspiration. Campaigning is what he is good at. Campaigning is what he does best. Actually running the country — not so much. Labour’s landslide was built on two false assumptions. One — that Labour couldn’t possibly be worse than the last lot. READ MORE TONY PARSONS And two — that Starmer’s Labour Government would be some kind of updated New Labour, an aspirational pro-business party with a social conscience. How stark raving bonkers both of those expectations seem today. What nobody saw coming was that it would all fall apart so quickly. At a time when Labour — only in office for a shade over five months — should still be enjoying a honeymoon with the British public, it feels like we are already in the divorce courts . Most read in The Sun Despair and discontent are everywhere. Pensioners, farmers, big business , small business — all have been shafted by these old-school socialists who pretended to be something very different. Only the public-sector unions, Labour’s paymasters , are happy after receiving inflation-busting pay rises. There is disgust too, not least for the blatant lies told by Labour to not increase taxes on “working people” — as though anyone who runs a business or employs others is not a “working person”. Growth? With their loathing of the private sector, Labour are already wrecking our economy. Nobody in Starmer’s cabinet ever ran, let alone started, their own business. The only growth you will see with this lot will be David Lammy’s waistline. No wonder Starmer wants to start again! Keir’s relaunch, reboot or reset was most significant for what it left out. Among all of Thursday’s blah-blah-blah about new milestones and millstones, there was not a peep about controlling immigration , taming the benefits bill or staving off World War Three by increasing defence spending. Credit where it could conceivably be due — if Labour build 1.5million homes and slash NHS waiting times , then they will deserve to have us weeping grateful tears. But Keir’s comeback is like the usual “jam tomorrow” promises of the campaign trail. On the same day that Starmer attempted to get his Government restarted by pulling out the plug and sticking it back in, I had a dinner with a man who runs a large company, and who has already started making redundancies as a direct result of Labour’s National Insurance hike on employers . It is not just Starmer. All Labour’s senior figures look allergic to high office. Did it really never occur to Chancellor Rachel Reeves — who claims to have “broken one of the last glass ceilings”, as though three female Tory Prime Ministers never existed — that her lies about never raising taxes on “working people” was as dodgy as her doctored CV? Totally flabbergasted Did it never occur to Foreign Secretary David Lammy , when he was calling Donald Trump names on Twitter , that he may one day have to deal with an American administration run by a President called Trump? Did it really never occur to pink-haired Transport Secretary Louise Haigh that her fraud conviction would inevitably be revealed? It is almost as if Labour are totally flabbergasted to find themselves actually in power . And it is painfully obvious that being in Government does not suit them. No wonder start-again Starmer looks wistful for the easy life of opposition. But Keir’s not on the campaign trail now. He’s on the road to nowhere. TIM MONTGOMERIE has been one of the most thoughtful Conservative commentators for decades. And this week Tim defected to Reform UK . And if the Tories are not shocked by a reasonable chap like Montgomerie jumping ship, they should be. Wham! hit is sheer glass LAST Christmas may well be George Michael’s career-defining moment. George wrote better songs – Careless Whisper, Everything She Wants – but nothing comes closer to the soul of the man than his Christmas classic, and the memorable video that came with it. Last Christmas, written in the bedroom where he grew up, is peak George – romantic, yearning, steeped in nostalgia and lavishly aspirational. How did all these young folk in their late teens and early twenties ever afford a ski holiday? Conceived as a winter wonderland counterpoint to Wham!’s sun-dappled Club Tropicana, Last Christmas rather incredibly turned 40 this week. And from the day it was released in December 1984, it seemed dusted in some kind of festive magic, full of love and wonder, that made it feel like a standard from the first time you heard it. In any other year beside 1984, Last Christmas would have been No1. But it spent five weeks in second spot, kept off the top by Do They Know It’s Christmas?. Now Andrew Ridgeley has revealed the secret ingredient that made Last Christmas such an instant classic. “Real wine ,” confesses Andrew. “The production team, in their wisdom, had chosen to provide us with real wine , right to the brim.” Every film , TV or video set in the world has some innocent drink passing for alcohol . But on the set of the Last Christmas video, they had the real thing. There is such an air of euphoric jollity in the video for Last Christmas because they were all half-cut. “We were having great fun but there were casualties, of which I was one,” recalls Andrew. “I’d laughed so much at the dinner table that my eyes had swollen up and I was unfilmable.” Drinking far too much at this time of year? Now that’s what I call the true spirit of Christmas. Sabrina’s been a buzzy girl this Christmas SABRINA CARPENTER was music’s break-out star of 2024. She opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour, is nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys and until recently had a celebrity romance with Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan . Sabrina even has her own Christmas special on Netflix . “I wouldn’t count on a silent night!” she titters, with an innuendo that Dick Emery would have admired. In the Netflix trailer, Sabrina examines a present that has something, er, vibrating inside. “Oooh, a massager,” she giggles. Well, it’s probably not a pair of socks. Morecambe and Wise Christmas specials were never like this. AFTER all the controversy around that new Jaguar ad, the company finally unveiled its new car. The Jaguar Type 00 (Zero Zero) is yours for £120,000, not including electricity. Reviews by motoring correspondents have been wildly enthusiastic. But you can’t help noticing the Jaguar Type 00 (Zero Zero) looks like a Batmobile made out of blancmange. “COPY NOTHING”, advised that hotly debated Jaguar ad . But the video shamelessly copied David Bowie’s 1980 Ashes To Ashes video. And that Barbie-pink motor looks as though it may possibly have Ken locked in the boot. Sweet FA for LGBTQ SPORT can change minds. But meaningless virtue-signalling will always change nothing. This week, football’s addiction to empty gestures hit the buffers. Sam Morsy , Ipswich captain and a practising Muslim, refused to wear a rainbow armband to show the FA’s “support” for the LGBTQ community. Marc Guehi , skipper at Crystal Palace and a committed Christian, wore the multi-coloured armband but wrote “I Love Jesus” on it. I suggest that the religious beliefs of these players are just as valid as the FA’s supposed support for the gay community. Football DOES sometimes stand up for gay rights. Aaron Ramsdale , at Southampton and his previous club Arsenal , has talked movingly about his brother, Oliver, who is gay and has lived in an “open and authentic way” since school. “I’m so proud to say he’s my brother,” Aaron has written. “I want this game I love to be a safe and welcoming place for everyone. “I want my brother Ollie – or anyone of any sexuality, race or religion – to come to games without having to fear abuse.” Unlike the compulsory wearing of rainbow laces, Aaron Ramsdale talking about his brother actually means something. And it might actually change some hearts and minds. READ MORE SUN STORIES BY pardoning his son Hunter of gun and tax convictions, President Biden ensures the Democrats can no longer get sniffy about the morals of Donald Trump’s Republicans. How heartily Joe must despise the party that dumped him for Kamala Harris simply because he couldn’t remember what planet he was on.
France's Macron vows to stay on, promises PM in 'coming days'FAIRFAX, Va. , Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GovCIO Media & Research , a leading federal technology media company, opened the Flywheel Award nominations for the 2025 Defense IT Summit. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Top trending stories from the past week. News, Sports, and more throughout the week. The week's obituaries, delivered to your inbox.
Zilinskas scores 32 as IU Indianapolis downs Alabama A&M 88-83Netflix continues to express confidence that its streaming platform is prepared to handle the massive audiences expected for a pair of Christmas Day NFL games along with the start of its live coverage of the World Wrestling Entertainment's "Raw" next month. Concerns were raised after users experienced issues with buffering and low quality feeds during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match last month. Netflix has exclusive rights to stream NFL games on Christmas Day between the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans. Beyonce is scheduled to perform during halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, which could create more server traffic Netflix must take into account. It's a major test after the company reported an average global live audience of 108 million viewers for Paul's victory over Tyson in Arlington, Texas. Downdetector.com , which tracks service outages, announced that there were 90,000 issues reported at one point. "It was a big number, but you don't know, and you can't learn these things until you do them, so you take a big swing," Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria told Front Office Sports. "Our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, and stabilized it, and many of the members had it back up and running pretty quickly. But we learn from these things. "We've all obviously done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready for the NFL and Beyonce, and so we're totally ready and excited for WWE." WWE president Nick Khan told FOS that Raw's tone and content will not change as it moves to the streaming service, with its first event of 2025 scheduled for Jan. 6. "There's some online chatter about, ‘oh, it's going to be R-rated, or for us old folks, X-rated.' That's definitely not happening," Khan said. "It's family-friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It's going to stay that way. I would look for more global flair, especially as the relationship continues to develop." --Field Level Media
42 Things For Anyone Looking To Upgrade Their Cleaning GameAs part of the collection, pre-packed donation bags are being made available at Tesco stores for customers to purchase. As well as all large stores, which offer them as standard during the collection period, 86 Express Stores are stocking the bags this year too. The goal is to exceed the "two million meals" reportedly donated for last year's collection. Bags "typically cost" between £2 and £4, are pre-filled with long-life items, and can be picked up by Warrington customers in store and paid for at the checkout. Trussell and FareShare will receive the bags and distribute them on to charities and food banks. Trussell's 'The Cost of Hunger and Hardship' report, published in October, calculated that "9.3 million people face hunger and hardship across the UK"; the report is available to read at https://trusselltrustprod.prod.acquia-sites.com/sites/default/files/2024-10/Cost%20of%20Hunger%20and%20Hardship_Interim%20report.pdf FareShare's annual impact report, meanwhile, is available to read at https://fareshare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Impact-report-2024-condensed.pdf The Winter Food Collection runs in Express stores from November 25 to 30 this year, and in large stores from November 28 to 30. Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said: "Our partners tell us they’ve seen even more families needing their help and they expect demand to increase this winter, so we’re encouraging Warrington customers to donate whatever they can to our Winter Food Collection. "With frontline charities and foodbanks facing exceptionally high demand this year, pre-packed donation bags make it easy to make a big difference to someone else’s Christmas." For those wishing to donate their own items, the most-needed items according to FareShare and Trussell are UHT & powered milk; tinned meat and fish; sponge/rice pudding; long life fruit juice; cooking/pasta sauces; tinned vegetables; tinned and dried soup; pasta, rice and noodles; cereal & porridge; and tea and coffee.
To improve teacher workforce, report says Maine needs better pathways
By Marco Trujillo and Dominique Vidalon , Reuters The word "Merci" was projected on to the front of Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral as it reopened, in thanks for its salvation after a devastating fire that brought the 860-year-old building close to collapse five years ago . The first responders who helped preserve the Gothic masterpiece and some of those who subsequently restored it received a standing ovation after the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, struck the doors of Notre-Dame three times with his crozier before symbolically reopening the building. "I stand before you to express the gratitude of the French nation, our gratitude to all those who saved, helped and rebuilt the cathedral," French President Emmanuel Macron said. "Tonight we can together share joy and pride. Long live Notre-Dame de Paris, long live the Republic and long live France." Minutes earlier, the cathedral's bells rang out and Macron welcomed guests including US President-elect Donald Trump. Pope Francis said it was a day of "joy, celebration and praise". In a message read aloud, the pope hoped "the rebirth of this admirable church would constitute a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France". Notre-Dame has been meticulously restored, with a new spire and rib vaulting, its flying buttresses and carved stone gargoyles returned to their past glory and white stone and gold decorations shining brightly once again. Getting Trump to attend, and organising a meeting between him and Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysee Palace ahead of the Notre-Dame ceremony, was a coup for Macron as he faces a political crisis at home, after parliament ousted his prime minister . Trump shook hands with Britain's Prince William and heads of state and government as he made his way to the front of the cathedral. He sat next to Macron in the front row. Earlier, guests stood and applauded as Zelensky walked into the cathedral. Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, a close adviser in Trump's transition team, also attended, as did Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and former French presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy. Earlier, tourists, who still cannot go inside the cathedral, snapped pictures with the restored building in the background as final preparations for the event went on inside. "It was very sad to see it burnt down and all black and ashy but amazing to see it rebuilt. Yeah, it's very special," said 26-year-old US tourist Amanda Nguyen, from Texas. Some Parisians were particularly thrilled. "What does Notre-Dame mean to me? This. Look, it's here," said careworker Pascal Tordeux, displaying a tattoo on his arm representing the cathedral. "It means everything." "I saw the construction every day from my window, the spire being brought down, being brought back. I saw it burn, I saw it rise again. I followed it day by day," said Tordeux, who lives across the river from Notre-Dame. On the evening of 15 April, 2019, dismayed Parisians rushed to the scene and TV viewers worldwide watched horrified as the fire raged through the cathedral . "The planet was shaken on that day," Macron said ahead of Saturday's event. "The shock of the reopening will - I believe and I want to believe - be as strong as that of the fire, but it will be a shock of hope." Thousands worked on restoration Would-be visitors can now book a free ticket online, on the Cathedral's website. But on Saturday, the first day bookings could be made for the coming days, all tickets were gone, a message on the site said. Group visits will be allowed next year - from 1 February for religious groups or from 9 June for tourists with guides. The Catholic Church expects the cathedral to welcome 15 million visitors each year. Thousands of experts - from carpenters and stonemasons to stained glass window artists - worked around the clock for the last five years, using age-old methods to restore, repair or replace everything that was destroyed or damaged. "Notre-Dame is more than a Parisian or French monument. It's also a universal monument," historian Damien Berne said. "It's a landmark, an emblem, a point of reference that reassures in a globalised world where everything evolves permanently," Berne said, a member of the scientific council for the restoration. The cathedral's first stone was laid in 1163, and construction continued for much of the next century, with major restoration and additions made in the 17th and 18th centuries. Victor Hugo helped make the cathedral a symbol of Paris and France when he used it as a setting for his 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame . Quasimodo, the main character, has been portrayed in Hollywood movies, an animated Disney adaptation and in musicals. So much money poured in for the renovation from all over the world - more than 840 million euros (NZ$1.52 billion), according to Macron's office - there are still funds left over for further investment in the building. - ReutersBlack Friday may be done and dusted for another year, but the discounts are still flowing at Debenhams. The online retailer has continued it's Cyber Week and there's some unmissable bargains still to be had ahead of Christmas. The digital department store is offering up to 75% off a countless range of items, with an additional discount of up to 20% on over 10,000 products. With fashion and beauty enthusiasts in mind, Debenhams' latest sale is a potential treasure trove for festive gift-shopping. Among the numerous bargains on offer, there's one particular deal that's catching the eyes of shoppers. Right now, Debenhams fans are rushing to buy a a luxury watch that's been slashed in price by a whopping 86% . READ MORE: 'I'm a fashion writer - this £199 designer Coach bag reduced from £500 is too good to miss' READ MORE: Debenhams £100 'on trend' coat reduced to £30 that's 'insulated and water repellent' The Stührling Original Lineage Ladies Quartz 31mm Watch With Crystal Markers , previously listed at £475 on Debenhams’, is now at a heavily reduced price of £67.99 in the huge sale event, which equates to around £407 in savings, reports the Mirror. The product description from Debenhams reads: "Live your legacy with the sleek polish and ultra-thin profile of the Lineage. Case Size 31mm A jeweled bezel perfectly frames the obelisk-style hands and crystal markers. The Miyota 2115 Japanese quartz movement keeps the Lineage ticking on time while keeping the ultra-slim 9mm profile. Finished with a 16mm stainless steel link bracelet for sharp looks and supreme comfort." The watch is available in a variety of colours, including black, copper, gold, silver, blue and rose gold. The product has an overall rating of 4.4 stars out out five, having racked up a number of rave reviews. The Stührling Original Lineage Ladies Quartz 31mm Watch has been slashed by 86% (Image: Debenhams) Among them, one person said: "I've purchased this watch as a Christmas present for my wife. The order arrived in the time specified, the watch looks amazing, I know my wife will love it." A second wrote: "Definitely a watch to purchase. I am really pleased with this luxury watch. Beautifully made." A third excited customer added: "Stunning watch. This watches looks so expensive comes in a beautiful box. It is ideal for a lovely Christmas gift." Other shoppers, while still impressed with the watch, claimed it was quite large and took longer than expected to be delivered. One said: "Stunning watch, needed a few links off, but is so comfortable to wear and is beautiful, can’t get over the price." The Lineage Ladies Quartz 31mm Watch With Crystal Markers is available in six stunning colourways (Image: Debenhams) A second wrote: "I am the proud owner of a beautiful watch which (eventually) arrived in a lovely presentation box. It also came with its authentication card. It has a look of luxury. "I gave four stars, purely because it took longer than I expected to arrive but Customer Service kept me well updated. Thank you." Another added: "Beautiful watch, it was exactly what I had wanted, good quality, took a bit longer to get here but wasn't disappointed in the result." Alternatively, Debenhams also has a number of other deals on watches including the Stührling Original Lady Casatorra Elite 4005 Quartz 29mm Fashion on sale for £50.39, down from £395, and the Stührling Original Women's Watch for £83.99, down from £890. Fossil also has the Karli Three-Hand Rose Gold-Tone Stainless Steel Watch for £71, down from £119. While H. Samuel stocks the Radley London Ladies' Pink Leather Strap Watch for £49.99, down from £99.99.
Hoping for allies among Trump’s health picks, pharma faces hostilityLawyers for a voting machine company that’s suing Fox News want to question founder Rupert Murdoch about his contentious efforts to change his family trust , the attorneys told a court Monday. Election-tech company Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation suit regards Fox's reporting on 2020 voting fraud claims. But Smartmatic’s attorneys suggest the separate succession fight over Murdoch's media empire might shed light on any Fox Corp. involvement in editorial matters. It's an important, if technical, question as Smartmatic seeks to hold the deep-pocketed Fox parent company responsible for statements that the news network aired. Fox contends that there's no such liability and that it was engaging in journalism, not defamation, when it broadcast election-fraud allegations made by then-President Donald Trump 's attorneys. Rupert Murdoch may already have given a deposition — out-of-court questioning under oath — in the defamation suit. Such records aren't public at this stage, but plans for his deposition were briefly mentioned at a 2022 hearing. Smartmatic now is seeking to talk to Murdoch about his efforts to rewrite his plans for his businesses after his death. The matter is playing out behind closed doors and in sealed files in a Nevada probate court. The New York Times has reported that Rupert Murdoch wants to keep his eldest son, Lachlan , in charge of the conglomerate's newspapers and television networks in order to ensure a continued conservative editorial outlook . Smartmatic wants to get the 93-year-old patriarch on record while the probate matter plays out, company attorney Edward Wipper told a judge Monday. Fox News lawyer K. Winn Allen said the probate case “has nothing at all to do with” Smartmatic's claims and is “not appropriate” fodder for the suit. Fox Corp. declined to comment after court. Fox News' lawyers, meanwhile, want Smartmatic to provide records about a U.S. federal criminal case against people, including Smartmatic co-founder Roger Piñate, accused of scheming to bribe a Filipino election official . Piñate has pleaded not guilty. Smartmatic isn't charged in the criminal case, and Smartmatic attorneys have said the matter was irrelevant to the defamation suit. Fox lost prior bids for a court order to get the information, but a hearing on the network's renewed request is set next week. It's unclear how soon Judge David B. Cohen will decide on that request or on Smartmatic's bid to dig into the Murdoch family trust case. Both requests are part of pretrial information-gathering, and no trial date has been set. Smartmatic says it was a small player, working only with California's heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In subsequent Fox News appearances, Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell portrayed Smartmatic as part of a multi-state scheme to steal the vote from the Republican. Federal and state election officials , exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trump’s own attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Nor did they uncover any credible evidence that the vote was tainted. Dozens of courts, including by judges whom Trump had appointed, rejected his fraud claims. Fox News ultimately aired an interview with an election technology expert who refuted the allegations against Smartmatic — an interview done after the company demanded a retraction . The network is countersuing Smartmatic , claiming it violated a New York law against baseless suits aimed at squelching reporting or criticism on public issues. The New York defamation suit is one of several stemming from conservative-oriented news outlets' reports on Trump’s 2020 vote-rigging claims. Smartmatic recently settled with One America News Network and Newsmax . Fox News settled for $787 million last year with Dominion Voting Systems, another election-technology company that sued over conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Trump’s 2020 loss.
Netflix continues to express confidence that its streaming platform is prepared to handle the massive audiences expected for a pair of Christmas Day NFL games along with the start of its live coverage of the World Wrestling Entertainment's "Raw" next month. Concerns were raised after users experienced issues with buffering and low quality feeds during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match last month. Netflix has exclusive rights to stream NFL games on Christmas Day between the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans. Beyonce is scheduled to perform during halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, which could create more server traffic Netflix must take into account. It's a major test after the company reported an average global live audience of 108 million viewers for Paul's victory over Tyson in Arlington, Texas. Downdetector.com , which tracks service outages, announced that there were 90,000 issues reported at one point. "It was a big number, but you don't know, and you can't learn these things until you do them, so you take a big swing," Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria told Front Office Sports. "Our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, and stabilized it, and many of the members had it back up and running pretty quickly. But we learn from these things. "We've all obviously done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready for the NFL and Beyonce, and so we're totally ready and excited for WWE." WWE president Nick Khan told FOS that Raw's tone and content will not change as it moves to the streaming service, with its first event of 2025 scheduled for Jan. 6. "There's some online chatter about, ‘oh, it's going to be R-rated, or for us old folks, X-rated.' That's definitely not happening," Khan said. "It's family-friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It's going to stay that way. I would look for more global flair, especially as the relationship continues to develop." --Field Level Media
Zilinskas scores 32 as IU Indianapolis downs Alabama A&M 88-83