A handful of Republicans may have just pushed the US to a new political cliff.
Just this past week, the concern was of a possible shutdown of the federal government, in case Congress, America's bicameral legislature, failed to fund it – as is its prerogative. That scenario was averted at the last minute and there was relief when Kevin McCarthy, then speaker of the House of Representatives, swung a 45-day funding extension, due to expire on November 17.
But as can happen in politics, the situation quickly devolved. Merely days after US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, signed the spending bill, Mr McCarthy, a Republican, has been ousted from his position. Even though his departure wasn't entirely unexpected, this creates a situation similar to last week: if the newly elected Speaker of the Republican-controlled House toes a harder line than Mr McCarthy did with the Biden White House, a government shutdown could once again be imminent.
Such a scenario would affect government payouts, as well as American livelihoods and businesses. The US economy has made an impressive post-pandemic recovery. But instead of keeping that momentum going, members of the Republican far right have allowed their party interests to overtake national ones. This phenomenon is not new or even uniquely American. Elsewhere too in the world, particularly in Europe, the far right appears to be gradually hollowing out the space held by traditional conservatives.
But even apart from the turmoil in Congress that Tuesday's turn of events could unleash, America does not come across well – already with a former president, Donald Trump, in court for a civil fraud trial, and the son of the current President, Hunter Biden, facing his own court battle related to gun charges.
The country may be about to bear the brunt of Mr McCarthy having crossed paths with some of the more extreme members in his party, who claimed that he worked too closely with Democrats. The new Speaker is set to be elected in a week, but there is no telling how long that process might take. Mr McCarthy's own route to speakership in January took 15 rounds of voting.
All of this is unprecedented. The paradox is especially stark as the former speaker was voted out, by members of both parties, for his attempts to build bipartisan consensus and keep the government running. Now, the result might yet be a shutdown – if, indeed, there is no consensus under a new speaker.
Such a situation would adversely affect Congress’s ability to fund government programmes, not to mention the direct bearing it could have on the dollar, loans, international businesses and the global economy.
America’s allies may well find the world's only global superpower becoming less reliable, particularly as this could affect the conflict in Ukraine and several of the American-led geopolitical initiatives around the globe. A big debate in the House was indeed about support and spending on Ukraine, of which many Republicans have become weary. Since the war began, Washington has directed more than $75 billion in assistance to Kyiv, including humanitarian, financial and military aid.
However, despite disagreements on issues like Ukraine aid, effective governance depends so much on hard-won consensus, which members of Congress, from both parties, appear to have eschewed in recent years. "My fear is the institution fell today," Mr McCarthy said.
Whoever succeeds him will need to find a way to rebuild the spirit of accord among fellow members, irrespective of political differences and affiliations, and speed up the process of putting the House, and American politics, back in order.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
