Tag: Reality

After the chaos, contradictions and incompetence in the UK’s handling of Brexit, European media have spotted a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. On past form, of course, it will soon be extinguished, but the endgame seems – at least for now – to be approaching. “At long last, MPs now have to decide where they stand,” said Die Zeit in Germany after the Commons voted in favour of a short extension to article 50 on Thursday evening, having earlier in the week rejected both Theresa May’s Brexit deal and no deal. “Empty promises to voters and pithy speeches in parliament will no longer cut it. The drama currently being played out in Westminster represents, at long last, the painful intrusion of reality into Britain’s Brexit debate.” Party discipline had gone, arguments were mutating and majorities were switching, the paper said. It is loud and it is painful, but it is bringing much-needed clarity.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reckoned the UK’s “battered prime minister may perhaps have slightly more reason for hope than before. However, Le Monde warned that the “apparent bright spot” masked “a weakening of May’s authority that is alarming not just for her political survival but for the democratic functioning of the country”. In Dublin, the Irish Times said that after the “chaos and humiliation of a double defeat in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Theresa May had a relatively good day” on Thursday. Neither May’s Conservative government nor parliament had “a clear picture of where Brexit might end up”, it said. “Brexit Day was supposed to be in two weeks.

He controls the Empire State Development Corporation, which circumvented local zoning laws and a democratic, locally-controlled land use review process to try to hand off land in Queens to Amazon. For two terms, Cuomo was the most dominant governor since a literal Rockefeller, spearheading whatever legislation he wanted, dreaming up and killing transit projects, and, most importantly for him, pulling every last economic development string. There is no doubt Cuomo gets his Amazon campus if the Republicans weren’t washed out of power last year. Of course, the power games won’t relent. Cuomo has tried to turn the suburban Democrats against their more liberal city counterparts, hoping this would somehow save the Amazon deal. After State Senator Todd Kaminsky, a Nassau County Democrat, suggested Amazon could come to Long Island still, a Cuomo spokesperson accused Kaminsky of having “cowered when he should have shown courage,” blasting him and his colleagues for catering to “local socialists” and kicking Amazon out of the state. If they can unite, he loses serious power over them. In Cuomo’s two terms, the legislature lacked leverage because it was divided. Democrats need to be ready to override Cuomo vetoes and meet him on his own level. For executives like Cuomo who so successfully instilled fear in others to drive an agenda, they can be particularly bewildering.

Who was behind the fire and who stands to lose and gain from this incident remains in question. Al-Sairoun coalition won 54 of 329 seats in parliament, Fatah, the coalition of Shi'a militias, came in second with 47 seats, and incumbent Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s coalition third, with 42 seats. As both Abadi and the current parliament's term is set to expire on 30 June, the recent events will only delay the formation of a new government. Al-Sadr voiced his disapproval of a recount, stating these were delaying tactics and indicative of Iraq's incumbent political elites "fighting for seats, posts, gains, influence, power and rulership". In terms of what happens next, a recount, or even more time consuming, a new election would delay the formation of a new government until January 2019. With a delay in choosing a new prime minister, Abadi remains in office and retains all his powers. Al-Sadr would need long and ardous negotiations to get numerous other parties to join his bloc. The fire, calls for a recount, or new elections will only delay this process. The euphoria after 12 May that a non-sectarian, nationalist government was emerging seems to be dissipating in the face of the realities of Iraq's politics and an incumbent political elite desperate to hold onto power. - Ibrahim al-Marashi is Associate Professor of Middle East History at California State University San Marcos.

'Bachelorette' fans went nuclear when ABC cut off the dating series to show viewers Trump's historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well…