Price out as HHS secretary after private plane scandal
By Kevin Liptak and Miranda Green, CNN
Tom Price, the embattled health and human services secretary, resigned Friday in the midst of a scandal over his use of private planes, a storm that enraged President Donald Trump and undercut his promise to bring accountability to Washington.
Price's departure came as he's being investigated by the department's inspector general for using private jets for multiple government business trips, even to fly distances often as short as from Washington to Philadelphia. The cost for the trips ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The scandal infuriated Trump, who viewed the controversy as a needless distraction from his agenda. Over the course of the week, Trump fumed to aides about Price's flights, which he deemed "stupid," according to multiple sources. Instead of moving past the storm, Price's offer to reimburse the government for only a fraction of the flights' costs enraged Trump further.
Xi curbs disloyalty as Communist party expels former rising star
Politburo member Sun Zhengcai, once a contender for top leadership, expelled for ‘serious discipline violations’
China’s Communist party has expelled from its ranks a former contender for a top leadership post for “serious discipline violations” before a major congress due to consolidate President Xi Jinping’s power.
Politburo member Sun Zhengcai was also dismissed from public office after the political bureau of the party’s central committee approved an investigative report, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The party accused Sun of abusing his position, receiving money and gifts in return for seeking benefits for others and trading power for sex. He was also accused of nepotism, sloth and leaking confidential party information and betraying party principles.
“Sun Zhengcai’s major problem was not corruption or womanising but failure to profess full loyalty to Xi Jinping,” said China expert Willy Lam, noting that the investigation was concluded unusually fast compared to similar cases.
Fayrouz Saad could be America's first Muslim woman in Congress
Exclusive: This progressive millennial wants to replace a two-term Republican
Fayrouz Saad had just started university when two planes struck the World Trade Centre on 11 September, 2001.
The child of immigrants and a practising Muslim, Ms Saad grew up in the heavily Arab-American city of Dearborn, Michigan. Up to that point, she said, she hadn’t personally experienced much harassment or discrimination. But her parents, who had immigrated from Lebanon some 30 years earlier, were concerned.
"That day, my parents came and picked me up and they took me home, because they were worried about anti-Arab and anti-Muslim backlash happening on campus,” Ms Saad told The Independent.
Catalonia, Madrid ramp up rhetoric ahead of contested independence referendum
Independence supporters have started occupying designated polling places ahead of Sunday's vote. Spain's government, which has sent thousands of police to the region, insists the referendum will not take place.
Supporters of Catalan independence on Friday evening and Saturday morning occupied polling stations, setting the scene for possible confrontations with police.
Catalonia's government said it had set up hundreds of polling stations across the northeastern region ahead of Sunday's vote, despite Madrid declaring the vote illegal.
"Everything is prepared at the more than 2,000 voting points so they have ballot boxes and voting slips, and have everything people need to express their opinion," Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont told Reuters news agency.
Spain's central government, bolstered by a Constitutional Court ruling declaring the referendum invalid, has vowed to block the unauthorized poll.
Saudis party into the night… Is the country opening up?
Videos taken during Saudi National Day, a Saudi public holiday celebrated on September 23, show young Saudi men and women dancing to blaring pop music. The footage captures a rare moment of freedom in this ultra-conservative society, but doesn’t hide the new wave of repression launched by the regime’s new strongman.
Saudi Arabia turned into one big party last weekend in celebrations to mark the 87th anniversary of the country’s founding. The Saudi General Authority for Entertainment put on a panoply of events ranging from free concerts and performances to laser shows and more in 17 different cities across the country. The Authority for Entertainment is a new official body created as part of Vision 2030 — a programme of reforms that aims to diversify the Saudi economy, which is heavily dependent on petrol.The man behind Vision 2030 is Mohamed Ben Salman, often called "MBS". MBS is the Deputy Prime Minister, a member of the royal family and one of the Kingdom’s strongmen.
Saudi Arabia turned into one big party last weekend in celebrations to mark the 87th anniversary of the country’s founding. The Saudi General Authority for Entertainment put on a panoply of events ranging from free concerts and performances to laser shows and more in 17 different cities across the country. The Authority for Entertainment is a new official body created as part of Vision 2030 — a programme of reforms that aims to diversify the Saudi economy, which is heavily dependent on petrol.The man behind Vision 2030 is Mohamed Ben Salman, often called "MBS". MBS is the Deputy Prime Minister, a member of the royal family and one of the Kingdom’s strongmen.
Koike’s energized challenge exposes risk of Abe’s snap poll decision
BY LINDA SIEG
REUTERS
A fast-growing challenge by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, often floated as the nation’s first possible female prime minister, to Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc has highlighted the risk of his gamble on a snap poll as she tries to replicate a historic defeat of his party.
Abe called the Oct. 22 election in the hope his improved ratings and a struggling opposition would help his Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition keep its majority in the Lower House, where it now holds a two-thirds supermajority.
But Abe’s bet now looks increasingly shaky, given growing support for Koike’s fledgling Kibo no To (Party of Hope) — launched this week — and the opposition Democratic Party’s move to have its candidates leave the party and run on her ticket.
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