Czech government survives no-confidence vote in Parliament sought by populist ex-prime minister
A bottle of what is being called “the most-sought after Scotch whisky” is set to be auctioned next month at Sotheby's in London. Sotheby’s said Thursday that the 96-year-old bottle of single malt from distiller Macallan — The Macallan Adami 1926 — will come under the hammer in London on Nov. 18, with the price estimated between 750,000 pounds and 1.2 million pounds ($900,000 and $1.4 million). Advance bidding will begin Nov. 1. A version of The Macallan 1926 was sold by Sotheby’s in 2019 for 1.5 million pounds, a record for any bottle of wine or spirit.
DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 19, 2023--
The Guardian newspaper has fired longtime editorial cartoonist Steve Bell after refusing to run a caricature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that critics said drew on antisemitic imagery. Bell has contributed to The Guardian since 1983. The decision comes after Bell depicted Netanyahu holding a scalpel and preparing to cut a Gaza-shaped incision in his abdomen. Bell said he had been accused of evoking the “pound of flesh” demanded by the Jewish character Shylock in Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice.” He said that had nothing to do with the cartoon and he would “never dream” of promoting antisemitic stereotypes.
- Revolutionizing Local Governance Through Financial Modernization and Operational Efficiency -
Loved ones and colleagues have mourned and celebrated the life of a French-language teacher stabbed to death in a school attack blamed on a suspected Islamic extremist. Dominique Bernard was remembered at his funeral service Thursday as a sensitive, crowd-shy man who loved literature, art and nature and was a devoted mentor to his pupils. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, were among mourners at the cathedral in Arras. Bernard taught at the Gambetta-Carnot school in the northern French town. He was 57. His wife described her husband as a great lover of literature, music, art, cinema and “the raking evening light.” She said he shunned computers, crowds and social networks, didn’t have a cellphone and “didn’t like the noise and furor of the world.”
A moment of silence will be observed at soccer games in Belgium and Sweden as a tribute to the two Swedish soccer fans killed this week in Brussels ahead of a European Championship qualifier. The Belgian league said that “next matchday all games in Belgian soccer will start with a minute of silence, in honor of the two Swedish football fans who lost their lives in the terrorist attack in Brussels. This minute of silence will take place at both Belgian and Swedish football grounds.” Investigators are still trying to determine the motive for Monday night’s attack, which occurred not far from the King Baudouin stadium where the qualifier took place.
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 19, 2023--
Northern Europe is bracing for bad weather including gale-force winds from the east on Thursday and Friday, with authorities saying floods could cause major problems in inland Danish waters and in the Baltic Sea. A Danish broadcaster said it likely would be the worst flooding in 110 years, and the Danish Meteorological Institute said waves could reach 4 meters (13 feet) along east-facing coasts. In the U.K., the Met Office issued a red alert for parts of Scotland, warning of “exceptional rainfall” Thursday and Friday, while in Ireland, Storm Babet brought flooding to several towns and villages, with some areas remaining under water and without power.
The International Criminal Court is dropping some 20 charges of murder, extermination, deportation, torture, and persecution against a former government minister from the Central African Republic. The court cites a lack of evidence and available witnesses. The court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan issued a statement saying he was withdrawing all charges against Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka as there were “no longer any reasonable prospects of conviction at trial.” The 44-year-old Mokom was accused of coordinating operations of the anti-Balaka, a mainly Christian group that fought against the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebel group. The fighting left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands in 2013 and 2014.
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 19, 2023--
Voters are casting ballots in two special elections in England that could add more misery to the beleaguered governing Conservative Party. The Conservatives won both Tamworth in central England and Mid-Bedfordshire, north of London, by large margins during the last national election in 2019. But both constituencies’ lawmakers resigned under a cloud. The main opposition Labour Party and the smaller Liberal Democrats hope to win the seats. But they have tried to manage expectations, noting that the Conservatives won substantial majorities in 2019. Opinion polls show the Conservatives lagging between 10 and 20 points behind Labour nationwide. Polls in the two districts close at 10 p.m. (2100GMT), with results announced early Friday.
ANOKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 19, 2023--
England’s best player at the Rugby World Cup hadn’t started a match for his country until a month before the tournament. Ben Earl was far from assured of being in the squad for France before the World Cup warmup games took place in August. Earl was voted as the best player in the English league in 2022. Yet he was dropped from England’s squad midway through this year’s Six Nations and told by newly hired coach Steve Borthwick to go back to his club and get fitter. Earl’s hopes of making it for the global showpiece looked slim. Now England cannot do without him.
Iran's state media reports that the final phase of registration for candidates who want to run in Iran’s parliamentary election next year has opened. Nearly 49,000 people filed initial paperwork in August seeking to run for the 290-seat parliament in the election, set for March 1, 2023. The elections will be the first since nationwide protests rocked the country last year. That is a record number and more than three times the 16,000 registrations filed in the last election in 2020, when voter turnout was its lowest since 1979. Just over 42% of eligible voters cast ballots at the time. Candidates have a week to finalize their profiles online. Each hopeful will have to be approved by the Guardian Council, a 12-member clerical body.
ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 19, 2023--
Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year, sparking worldwide protests against the country’s conservative Islamic theocracy, has been awarded the European Union’s top human rights prize. The EU award, named for Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honor individuals or groups who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. Sakharov, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died in 1989. Other finalists this year included Vilma Nunez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez — two emblematic figures in the fight for the defense of human rights in Nicaragua — and a trio of women from Poland, El Salvador and the United States leading a fight for “free, safe and legal abortion.”
Sergio Ramos helped Real Madrid win 22 titles in a 16-year spell before leaving two years ago. He will face his former team for the first time on Saturday when Madrid visits Sevilla. Ramos re-joined boyhood club Sevilla last month. His new team is struggling and changed coaches during the international break that has just ended. Uruguayan coach Diego Alonso will debut against Madrid. Third-placed Barcelona hosts Athletic Bilbao on Sunday after a judge widened the scope of an investigation into the payment of millions of euros to a refereeing official to include its current president.
EU awards top human rights prize to Masha Amini, the Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody last year.
Tennessee and Alabama bring two of the Southeastern Conference's better defenses into Saturday's showdown. The 17th-ranked Volunteers visit No. 11 Alabama in a rivalry game that went down to the final play last season. Tennessee broke a 15-year losing streak in the border rivalry with a 52-49 win in the Top 10 matchup. A similar shootout seems unlikely because neither offense has been putting up big numbers. Alabama is led by quarterback Jalen Milroe and the Vols counter with Joe Milton III.
No. 10 North Carolina is hosting Virginia on Saturday in search of a 7-0 start. The Tar Heels are coming off a win against Miami. That game highlighted UNC's season-long trend of making adjustments at halftime then coming out strong in the third quarter. UNC has outscored opponents 71-24 in the third quarter this season. The Tar Heels have scored four touchdowns and a field goal on its first six drives after halftime. Virginia is coming in after an open week. Before that, the Cavaliers beat William & Mary for their first win of the season.
Floyd of Rosedale has a well-worn perch by now among the trophies displayed in the Iowa football building. Minnesota and Iowa have played for the 98-pound bronze pig every year since 1935. Floyd has resided with the 24th-ranked Hawkeyes for eight straight years and 18 of the last 22. The Gophers’ next opportunity to lay claim to Floyd comes Saturday when they visit Kinnick Stadium. They haven't won in Iowa City since 1999. Look for a low-scoring game. The matchup pits two of the nation's worst offenses.
No. 20 Missouri is coming off an uplifting win at Kentucky while South Carolina is smarting from a late blown lead against Florida as the two schools prepare to meet Saturday at Faurot Field. The Tigers outscored the Wildcats 18-0 in the fourth quarter for the bounceback win after a tough loss of their own against LSU. They need to keep winning to keep pace with No. 1 Georgia, which is a game ahead in the SEC East. South Carolina led the Gators with less than 5 minutes to go last Saturday before allowing a pair of touchdown down the stretch in a defeat that left the Gamecocks buried the standings.
Hugh Freeze is set to lead Auburn against his former team for the first time. The slumping Tigers host 13th-ranked Ole Miss on Saturday trying to snap a three-game losing streak. Freeze led the Rebels program for five seasons before leaving amid off-the-field scandals. Lane Kiffin's Rebels have won two straight to remain in SEC West contention. They snapped a six-year losing streak to the Tigers last season and haven't beaten Auburn in back-to-back years since 1952.
There is a rematch this week of last year's Big 12 championship game when TCU plays at Kansas State. The Wildcats won that title game in overtime last December after TCU had an undefeated regular season. Both teams go into Saturday's game coming off bounce-back wins last week. Also in the league this weekend, Oklahoma senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel faces his former team when the sixth-ranked and undefeated Sooners host league newcomer UCF. Gabriel is third nationally with 347 total yards per game. He threw 70 touchdowns in 26 games for UCF from 2019-21 before transferring to Oklahoma.
No. 14 Utah has fared well against No. 18 Southern California since head coach Lincoln Riley took over the Trojans. The Utes are one of three teams to knock off a Riley-led team more than once. The Utes beat the Trojans in the regular season a year ago and again in the Pac-12 championship game. When he was at Oklahoma, the teams that beat him more than once were Iowa State and Kansas State. Another big game in the Pac-12 will be Washington State at No. 9 Oregon. Both are trying to rebound from losses.
No. 11 Alabama likely hasn't forgotten what happened the last time it face No. 19 Tennessee. That's when the Vols defeated the Crimson Tide 52-49 and a sea of happy, Orange-clad fans tore out the goal posts and paraded them out of Neyland Stadium. Alabama hopes for a different outcome at home this time around to highlight play in the Southeastern Conference this week. Alabama slipped out of the Top 10 after falling to No. 9 Texas and a so-so outing in beating South Florida a week later. But the Tide have won four straight behind passer Jalen Milroe.
No. 4 Florida State has another strong test ahead when it hosts No. 16 Duke to highlight ACC action in Week 8 of the season. The Seminoles are 6-0 and off to their best start since 2015. The Blue Devils may get a boost this week with the return of injured quarterback Riley Leonard. Duke coach Mike Elko teased that the team may get their leader back from a high ankle sprain in time to face Florida State. The Seminoles lead the ACC in scoring and have given up the second-fewest points in the league.
No. 7 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State is the game of the week in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions carry an 11-game win streak to Columbus. They haven't won there since 2011. Lions coach James Franklin is 1-8 against Ohio State and 0-9 on the road against top 10 opponents. The Floyd of Rosedale trophy is on the line when Minnesota visits 24th-ranked and West-leading Iowa. The Gophers are looking for their first win in Iowa City since 1999. Northwestern is a long shot to watch as an 11 1/2-point underdog at Nebraska.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has hobbled off the field with a suspected ankle injury in the Cricket World Cup game against Bangladesh in Pune. Pandya was bowling the ninth over of the innings when he tried to stop a straight drive by Litton Das, twisting his left ankle and tumbling over. He got up and tried walking but fell back to the ground as the Indian medical team rushed in. He got up again and tried a practice run-up before consulting with skipper Rohit Sharma and walking off. Pandya is a key member of India’s team as the host nation attempts to win the competition for a third time.
CHICAGO — Corky is a kid’s name and the only Corky I have ever known has ever been childlike in his energy, enthusiasm and worldview.
Allison Russell opens her exultant new album with a goodbye.
Titus Welliver has played Harry Bosch on television for nearly a decade, starting with the seven-season Amazon crime series “Bosch.” Once a grizzled cop who would squint into the harsh Los Angeles sun and uncover ugly truths hiding in dark crevices, he has since retired from the police force…
CHICAGO — No one’s story is a simple one, and writer-director Minhal Baig’s third feature “We Grown Now” takes care to depict her main characters — two boys growing up and then growing apart in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green public housing projects in 1992 — as alert, multilayered individuals with …
Jaylen Brown wasn't considered to be a surefire NBA superstar when the was drafted in 2016. As he prepares for his eighth season, his play has forced the narrative about him to be rewritten. Last season was a defining year for Brown, who garnered his second All-Star selection and second-team All-NBA nod while helping lead the Celtics to within a game of back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. This summer he cashed in signing a five-year, $304 million extension. The richest contract in NBA history and immediately thrust him onto a tier reserved for only the league’s most elite stars. Now he says he's ready to provide the voice and leadership for a retooled Celtics roster with championship aspirations.
France’s government is threatening prison terms and heavy fines for callers who make fake bomb threats after a rash of false alarms forced the evacuation of 15 airports and cancellation of 130 flights and shut the doors of Versailles Palace three times in five days. French officials suggested that young people and children may be responsible. French law allows prank calls to be punished by up to 3 years’ imprisonment and fines of 45,000 euros ($47,000). France has been on heightened alert since the fatal stabbing of a schoolteacher last week blamed on a suspected Islamic extremist who allegedly declared allegiance to the Islamic State group.
An International Atomic Energy Agency team is in Fukushima for the agency's first marine sampling since treated radioactive wastewater started being released from the area's damaged nuclear plant into the sea. A team member on Thursday's visit said he does not expect any rise in radioactivity in the fish caught in the seas off northeastern Japan. The wastewater release began in August, and China immediately banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting the Japanese seafood industry. The IAEA's earlier safety review concluded the wastewater release, if carried out as planned, would have a negligible impact.
A court in Pakistan has granted several days of protection from arrest to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in graft cases, clearing the way for him to return home from self-imposed exile in London, where he went in 2019 for medical treatment. The decision by the Islamabad High Court is a major boost for Sharif and his party and comes two days before he is to return to Pakistan ahead of parliamentary elections in January as the country faces deepening political and economic turmoil. Sharif has been a fugitive from justice since failing to appear before a Pakistan court in 2019.
