resigns

O’Neill managed Celtic from 2000-05, winning three Scottish Premier League titles, three Scottish Cups, and a League Cup. He also took the club to a Uefa Cup final.

However, he has not managed a club since he being sacked by Nottingham Forest in June 2019 – more than six years ago.

Coincidentally, the former Republic of Ireland manager was on TalkSport earlier on Monday taking about the Scottish title race – and his belief that Hearts could become the first non-Old Firm side to win it since 1985.

“Hearts have shown a great determination. Their record is great, at this minute,” O’Neill said. “With Celtic not being as strong, as physically as strong, as maybe you would want them to be. It is possible.

“Celtic can actually lose games now, whereas before, they looked invincible in matches. Rangers are no threat whatsoever. They are so far adrift it’s untrue.

“But this is the moment, this is the time for Hearts. They have gone eight points clear. That is a decent enough lead, really. Their confidence has grown, and it will grow from that victory.”

O’Neill will be joined by Maloney, who had two spells as a player with Celtic and was part of Belgium’s coaching staff for a stint after retiring.

The Scotland international took on his first job with Hibs in 2021 but lasted just four months.

Then he took charge of Wigan Athletic in January 2023 but was dismissed in March of this year, having won 42 of his 115 games in charge.

A Vermont state senator who took part in a Young Republicans group chat on Telegram in which members made racist comments and joked about rape and gas chambers has resigned.

State Sen. Sam Douglass was revealed last week to have participated in the chat, which was first reported on by Politico. The exchanges on the messaging app spanned more than seven months and involved leaders and lower ranking members of the Young Republican National Federation and some of its affiliates in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont. Douglass was the only elected official involved.

Vermont’s top Republican leaders, including Gov. Phil Scott, quickly called for Douglass to resign. A joint statement from the GOP lawmakers described the comments “unacceptable and deeply disturbing.”

Douglass, who was in his first year of representing a conservative district near the Canadian border, said in a statement Friday that he and his wife had received multiple hateful messages and “nasty items” in the mail since news of the group chat broke.

“I know that this decision will upset many, and delight others, but in this political climate I must keep my family safe,” Douglass said in explaining his decision to resign. “And if my Governor asks me to do something, I will act, because I believe in what he’s trying to do for the state of Vermont.”

Douglass also said he had served in a “moderate fashion,” and touted his efforts to improve Vermont’s welfare system,

“Since the story broke, I have reached out to the majority of my Jewish and BIPOC friends and colleagues to ensure that they can be honest and upfront with me, and I know that as a young person I have a duty to set a good example for others,” Douglas wrote, referencing the acronym Black, Indigenous and people of color.

Other participants in the group chat have faced repercussions, including a New York Young Republicans organization that was suspended Friday.

Kruesi writes for the Associated Press.

SACRAMENTO — U.S. Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III announced today that he will resign at the end of July or in early August.

He told a news conference that an independent prosecutor investigating his personal financial affairs had found no grounds for legal action against him and therefore he could leave the Reagan Administration with a clear name.

“I have stated that I would not resign under a cloud or until I was completely vindicated,” Meese said, adding that the filing of a report by independent counsel James McKay–rather than an indictment–”fully vindicates me.”

Meese’s tenure at the Justice Department has been marked by repeated controversy surrounding his conduct and marred by resignations by senior personnel.

Won’t Be ‘Hounded’

Explaining why he had now decided to resign, Meese, who has always maintained his innocence, declared, “to allow myself to be hounded out of office by false accusations or allegations, unjust political attacks and media clamor would undermine the integrity of our system of justice which I have championed. . . . “

He said: “I have informed the President that I will be leaving the Administration towards the end of July or early in August.”

Earlier today, McKay ended his investigation of Meese without bringing criminal charges, but filed a report that raised questions about Meese’s ethics.

Sources close to the nearly 14-month-old probe said the secret report, totaling more than 800 pages, referred certain matters on Meese’s ethical behavior to the Justice Department for further review.

The department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, the agency’s internal ethics unit, is expected to review whether Meese violated federal ethics rules that prohibit actions that create the appearance of impropriety.

Allegations Detailed

McKay, who previously said he had insufficient evidence to indict Meese on most key matters under scrutiny, detailed in the report his probe into various conflict-of-interest charges against the attorney general.

It was filed under seal with a special panel of three federal appeals court judges. After Meese’s defense attorneys comment on the report, the judges will decide when to release it.

Meese, the nation’s top law enforcement officer who had President Reagan’s continued support throughout the inquiry, has denied any wrongdoing.

Most of McKay’s investigation centered on action Meese took as a government official that benefited his longtime friend and former lawyer, E. Robert Wallach, and on assistance that Wallach extended to Meese.

Wallach has been indicted on charges of attempting to illegally influence Meese and other government officials in helping win lucrative government contracts for the scandal-plagued Wedtech Corp., a defense contractor.

The most serious charge against Meese involved his role in a failed Iraqi oil pipeline deal that allegedly called for payoffs of as much as $700 million over 10 years to Israel and the Israeli Labor Party.

Meese received a secret 1985 memo from Wallach, who represented one of the project’s promoters, outlining the alleged payoff plan in return for an Israeli commitment not to attack the pipeline.

Meese then helped set up a meeting between a top White House national security adviser and former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres to discuss the project.

Telephone Contacts Probed

McKay also investigated Meese’s meetings with regional Bell Telephone company executives while holding $14,000 in phone stock.

The chief spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department has resigned amid accusations from the region’s top federal prosecutor that her office was leaking information, according to three sources familiar with the matter but not cleared to speak publicly.

Jennifer Forkish, the LAPD’s public information director, said she left the department Thursday at the request of Chief Jim McDonnell but vehemently denied making any unauthorized disclosures.

“Any suggestion that I have ever shared or leaked information to the media is categorically false,” she said in a statement. “No one in the Department, including the Chief has ever raised or discussed this baseless allegation with me, because it simply never happened. Anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”

The three law enforcement sources said the chief’s concerns about Forkish’s overall performance had been mounting, and that pressure Tuesday from acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli may have prompted her ouster.

The drama began the prior evening after a Times reporter reached out to an official at the U.S. Attorney’s office to inquire about plans to schedule a news conference related to the Palisades fire.

Flanked by McDonnell and other law enforcement leaders, Essayli announced at a briefing on Wednesday that authorities had arrested and charged a 29-year-old Uber driver with intentionally sparking one of the most destructive fires in California history.

Before the media event, according to the three sources who had been briefed on the matter, Essayli called LAPD senior staff and demanded to know who in the department had tipped the paper off to the news conference, which had not yet been officially scheduled when The Times asked about it.

It wasn’t immediately clear why Forkish was suspected of revealing details about the news conference, which federal authorities announced to members of the media via email at 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Forkish had already left work that afternoon when McDonnell summoned her back to his office at LAPD headquarters for a meeting with him and Assistant Chief Dominic Choi, she told The Times. McDonnell did not reference a call with Essayli during the meeting, telling Forkish only that he did not share her long-term vision for the department’s public relations strategy, she said.

She said the conversation revolved around the difference of opinion about the department’s overall media strategy, adding “there has never been any conversation with me regarding the possibility of a leak with anyone from the LAPD.”

Choi would not address any phone conversation between LAPD leadership and Essayli. He told The Times he could not discuss Forkish’s case due to confidentiality around personnel matters but confirmed she submitted her letter of resignation on Thursday morning.

“We don’t wish any ill will or anything for her,” he said in a brief telephone interview. “We thank her for her service and everything she’s done and for her time with the department.”

McDonnell did not respond to a phone call and email seeking comment on Thursday. Inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s office and Mayor Karen Bass also went unreturned.

Forkish expressed gratitude for her time with the LAPD.

“After much thought, I’ve decided to step down from my role to pursue new opportunities,” she wrote in a statement. “I do so with immense pride in what my team and I accomplished together. We told the hard stories with honesty and balance, supported our officers and our city in moments of crisis, and built a foundation of professionalism that I’ll always be proud of.”

For months, word has circulated in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles that Essayli — a Trump appointee — is trying to root out leaks to the media. The LAPD has itself routinely opened investigations into employees who speak with journalists without authorization, and faced lawsuits from employees who claimed they were falsely accused of leaks.

Forkish began her career working for former Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine, who worked as an LAPD cop for more than three decades before going into politics. She later had stints at PR firms around town, including GCG Rose & Kindel, where she worked with Celine Cordero, the future mayor’s deputy chief of staff.

After working as a vice president of corporate communications for casino giant Caesars Entertainment Corp. in Las Vegas, Forkish served as a spokesperson for former Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón for several months in 2024.

Eric Rose, a partner at the lobbying and crisis communication firm EKA, where he was once Forkish’s boss, said she has made a positive mark at every stop of her career.

“Jennifer is an accomplished public affairs professional with deep and diverse expertise, having worked with elected officials at the local, state and federal levels for more than two decades,” he said.

But Forkish’s appointment to the LAPD job was not without controversy. Multiple department sources not authorized to speak publicly said a dispute over Forkish’s salary demands created tension before she started on the job. Then, the sources, said there was a disagreement over strategy between Forkish and her predecessor, Capt. Kelly Muniz, which ended with Muniz’s transfer to another unit.

Some press advocates say McDonnell’s tenure has been marked by conflict with the local media. The department faces lawsuits for aggressive behavior by officers toward journalists who covered protests against the Trump administration over the summer, and a federal judge has barred police from targeting reporters with less-lethal projectiles during demonstrations.

Adam Rose, a deputy director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said the department has in recent months been frustratingly unresponsive when confronted with reports of abuses by officers.

“While I often vehemently disagreed with past PIOs and past department leadership, at least they were responsive,” Rose said. “The fact that McDonnell and his staff are so recalcitrant — and are so reluctant — to do their jobs is shameful.”

In her statement, Forkish said she is proud of her time at the LAPD.

“I’ve always approached this work with transparency, respect, and accountability, and that will never change,” she said.

Times staff writers James Queally and Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has stepped down, blaming deep divisions in parliament where parties acted “as if they all had an absolute majority”. His departure comes less than a month after taking office, throwing France into renewed political uncertainty.

FRENCH Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has resigned after less than a month in office.

Emmanuel Macron had only appointed Lecornu on September 9 – marking his fifth Prime Minister in the space of two years.

1

Lecornu served as Minister for the Armed Forces since 2022 before being asked to serve as PM.

It comes as extremist parties continue to put pressure on France’s political establishment.

President Emmanuel Macron has faced a political crisis since he called an ill-advised snap election last summer.

His centrist bloc lost dozens of seats amid a spike in support for the far-right.

While a left wing coalition came first in the end, no party is anywhere close a majority in the French Parliament.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun

Sept. 18 (UPI) — Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh is to step down from his position, the school announced, making him the latest university executive to lose their job amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on left-leaning ideology being taught at education institutions.

The resignation of Welsh, a distinguished four-star Air Force pilot and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be effective Friday at 5 p.m., Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar announced Thursday.

“President Welsh is a man of honor who has led Texas A&M with selfless dedication,” Hegar said in a statement.

“We are grateful for his service and contributions. At the same time, we agree that now is the right moment to make a change and to position Texas A&M for continued excellence in the years ahead.”

Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, celebrated Welsh’s resignation online, stating: “WE DID IT!”

“As the first elected official to call for him to be fired, this news is welcome, although over due. Now… END ALL EDI AND LGBTQ INDOCTRINATION IN TEXAS!!”

Welsh’s resignation comes on the heels of the school being pulled into a scandal around a professor discussing gender and sexuality in children’s literature during a children’s literature course.

On Wednesday, Harrison had shared an uncorroborated video of a student filming herself in a Texas A&M University classroom arguing with her professor, Melissa McCoul.

In the video, the female student references an executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office recognizing only two genders defined at “conception.” She also references Trump administration moves to pause federal funding for schools that have policies that do not align with its own, including diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

The video sparked backlash from Republicans, resulting in Welsh first firing two administrators followed by him later firing McCoul. He said the grounds of the firing were that the course contained content that was not included in the course curriculum. Course content “must match catalog descriptions,” he explained.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and President Donald Trump ally, had called for McCoul’s firing.

After the firings, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, suggested Welsh to be fired over his handling of the situation and his “ambivalence on the issue.”

“Most parents, students and Aggie alumni expect Texas A&M to reflect the values of our state and our nation as well as A&M’s rich history,” Patrick said in a statement late last week.

“If President Welsh will not or cannot reflect those values, then change needs to happen.”

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, he has led a charge to remove left-leaning ideology from government, public and private spaces via his executive powers.

He has targeted dozens of universities, in particular so-called elite institutions, with executive orders, lawsuits, reallocation of resources and threats over a swath of allegations, from anti-Semitism to employing diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Critics and Democrats have accused the Trump administration of using these allegations to coerce schools under threat of stringent punishments, including fines sometimes exceeding $1 billion, to adopt his far-right policies.

While some schools, including Columbia University, Brown University, and others, have reached settlements with the Trump administration, others, such as Harvard, are challenging the White House in court.

On Tuesday, a coalition of faculty, staff, students and labor unions sued the Trump administration to have the courts stop the president’s attempt “to require that universities conform to his worldview.”

Welsh is the latest university exeutive to either be fired or resign amid the second Trump administration.

Michael Schill, president of Northwestern University, resigned earlier this month after the Trump administration froze some $790 million in research funding for the school on accusations of ignoring Jewish students amid pro-Palestine protests.

James Ryan, president of the University of Virginia, resigned late June as the Trump administration demanded he step down as part of a settlement of a civil rights investigation over the school’s DEI policies.

Katrina Armstrong, interim president of Columbia University, resigned in late March, among others.

Sept. 5 (UPI) — British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced Friday she will resign following a scandal over her underpayment of taxes on her home.

“Given the findings, and the impact on my family, I have therefore decided to resign as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as Deputy Leader of the Labor Party,” Rayner said in a press release.

“I have long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards, and while the Independent Adviser has concluded that I acted in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout, I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase,” she added.

Rayner had stated Wednesday that she referred herself to Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, in order to reach a determination on her realization that she paid an incorrect rate for Stamp Duty Land Tax on a home she purchased in May.

According to Raynor, she paid for her new home with a combination of a mortgage and money acquired from selling her stake in the residence she maintained with her former husband and their kids.

She alleges that she was given bad advice from her lawyers in regard to how much tax, or stamp duty she owed.

“I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice given both my position as Housing Secretary and my complex family arrangements,” Rayner said.

“I take full responsibility for this error,” she added. “I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.”

Magnus issued a judgement Friday in which did note that “I believe Ms. Rayner has acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service.”

“I consider, however, that her unfortunate failure to settle her SDLT liability at the correct level, coupled with the fact that this was established only following intensive public scrutiny, leads me to advise you that, in relation to this matter, she cannot be considered to have met the ‘highest possible standards of proper conduct’ as envisaged by the [Ministerial Code],” he added.

The Ministerial Code are the standards all ministers are expected to uphold.

“Accordingly, it is with deep regret that I must advise you that in these circumstances, I consider the Code to have been breached,” he concluded.

She also said she had resigned because of media pressure on her family.

“While I rightly expect proper scrutiny on me and my life, my family did not choose to have their private lives interrogated and exposed so publicly. I have been clear throughout this process that my priority has, and always will be, protecting my children and the strain I am putting them under through staying in post has become unbearable,” Rayner explained.

“Thank you for informing me of your decision to resign from the Government,” wrote Prime Minister and leader of the Labor Party Keir Starmer in a handwritten letter. “I am very sad that your time as Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State and Deputy Leader of the Labor Party has ended in this way.”

She also received praise from Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and former Labor Party leader Ed Miliband, who called her “one of the great British political figures of our time” in an X post Friday.

“I know she will continue to stand at the front of the fight for social justice in this country,” he added.

However, other British political parties criticized Rayner and Starmer.

“What did Keir Starmer know, and when?” asked Conservative Party leader and Member of Parliament, or MP Kemi Badenoch in a video clip posted online. “Did he mislead the public?”

“He has now lost a Deputy Prime Minister after losing a Transport Secretary, an Anti-Corruption minister and a Homelessness minister to scandal,” she continued, noting other members of Starmer’s administration who have resigned over varied reasons.

“You can’t be Housing Secretary, and avoid [$53,731] of stamp duty,” said Reform UK leader MP Nigel Farage in an online video. “Angela Rayner is gone.”

Sept. 2 (UPI) — The leader of Japan’s Suntory Holdings beverage company resigned following allegations that he purchased illegal substances.

The company announced Tuesday in a press release that Representative Director, Chairperson and CEO Takeshi Niinami was stepping down due to an August investigation by the Fukuoka Prefectural Police into his possession of prohibited “supplements.”

“We apologize from the bottom of our hearts for causing trouble over the incident,” Suntory Holdings President Nobuhiro Torii said in a
press conference on Tuesday.

Niinami said he believed the supplements to be legal. The exact type of supplements were not been publicly identified, but Suntory has confirmed the substances in question are not produced by the company.

He was given a drug test for the cannabinoid THC, which is illegal in Japan in excess of a certain amount, but that came back negative.

The company said that it will defer to the authorities in regard to the legality of the supplements in question.

“However, for the top executive management of Suntory Group, strict compliance with laws and regulations is fundamental, and exercising appropriate caution in purchasing supplements is an indispensable quality,” the press release stated.

“Therefore, without waiting for the outcome of the investigation, the company determined that Takeshi Niinami’s actions which demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding supplements rendered him unable to continue in the key position of Representative Director, Chairman [and] Chief Executive Officer.” The statement continued.

It was then after a series of discussions that Niinami resigned “due to his own reasons” on Sunday.

Suntory Vice President Kenji Yamada has since confirmed that even if the investigation doesn’t lead to any criminal charges, Suntory’s decision regarding his inability to further lead the company remains unchanged.

Niinami also serves as the chairperson, of Keizai Doyukai, or Japan Association of Corporate Executives, a business lobbying organization. It is unclear if there has been any change in his role.

Aug. 28 (UPI) — The chairman of the Surry County Board of Elections in North Carolina resigned Thursday after police arrested him on suspicion of putting drugs in his granddaughters’ ice cream.

In a news release issued Wednesday, the Wilmington Police Department said officers arrested James Yokeley after an investigation into an incident Aug. 8.

The release said earlier this month, Yokeley flagged down patrol officers outside a gas station to alert them that his two minor granddaughters found two hard objects in ice cream they had just purchased at a nearby Dairy Queen. Field tests determined the objects were illegal narcotics.

Medical professionals evaluated the two girls and determined neither had ingested any substances.

Detectives reviewed security video from the Dairy Queen, which allegedly showed Yokeley putting the pills in the ice cream. Police arrested him Tuesday, charging him with felony child abuse, contaminating food with a controlled substance and possession of a Schedule I narcotic.

He was jailed at the New Hanover County Detention Center and released on $100,000 bond.

County Auditor Dave Boliek called for Yokeley’s resignation from the board of elections Thursday, according to WITN-TV in Greenville, N.C. Yokeley sent his resignation letter to Boliek, who appointed him to the position earlier this summer.

“Based on the truth and facts, I remain prayerfully confident that I will be exonerated of all accusations levied against me,” Yokeley said in the letter.

Caspar Veldkamp and other ministers step down after cabinet rejects sanctions against Israel, prompting broader political upheaval.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp has resigned after failing to secure cabinet support for additional sanctions against Israel over its military onslaught in Gaza.

Veldkamp, a member of the centre-right New Social Contract party, said on Friday that he could not achieve agreement on “meaningful measures” and had repeatedly faced resistance from colleagues over sanctions already in place.

His efforts included imposing entry bans on far-right Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing their role in inciting settler violence against Palestinians.

Veldkamp also revoked three export permits for navy ship components, warning of “deteriorating conditions” in Gaza and the “risk of undesirable end use”.

“I also see what is happening on the ground in Gaza, the attack on Gaza City, and what is happening in the West Bank, the building decision for the disputed settlement E1, and East Jerusalem,” Veldkamp told reporters.

His departure leaves the Netherlands without a foreign minister as the European Union navigates security guarantees for Ukraine and continues talks with the United States over tariffs.

Following his resignation, all New Social Contract ministers and state secretaries confirmed their support for Veldkamp and resigned from the caretaker government in solidarity.

Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen, reporting from Berlin on developments in the Netherlands, said Veldkamp was “under increasing pressure from lawmakers in parliament, especially from the opposition who have been requesting stricter sanctions against Israel”.

While Veldkamp had announced travel bans for two Israeli ministers a few weeks ago, Vaessen said the foreign minister was facing growing demands after Israel’s attacks on Gaza City and the “increasing aggression” that the Dutch government “should be doing more”.

“Veldkamp has also been pushing for a suspension of the trade agreement that the EU has with Israel,” Vaessen added, noting that the Dutch foreign minister had “increasingly become frustrated because Germany was blocking that. So there was also this push from the Dutch parliament that the Netherlands shouldn’t wait anymore for any European sanctions but should put sanctions on Israel alone.”

Europe-Israel relations

Despite limited Dutch sanctions on Israel, the country continues to support the supply chain of Israel’s F-35 fighter jet.

Research from the Palestinian Youth Movement shared with Al Jazeera in June shows that ships carrying F-35 components frequently dock at the port of Rotterdam, operated by Danish shipping company Maersk.

The F-35 jets have been used by Israel in air strikes on Gaza, which have left much of the Strip in ruins and contributed to the deaths of more than 62,000 people since October 2023.

Earlier this week, the Netherlands joined 20 other nations in condemning Israel’s approval of a large West Bank settlement expansion, calling it “unacceptable and contrary to international law”.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military attacks on Gaza continue, forcing civilians from Gaza City southwards amid mounting famine. A global hunger monitor confirmed on Friday that residents of Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially facing famine conditions.

No successor to Veldkamp has been announced. The caretaker Dutch government, which has been in place since the collapse of the previous coalition on June 3, is expected to remain until a new coalition is formed following elections in October, a process that could take months.

The resignation is a blow for the Labour government, which trails Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party in polls.

Britain’s minister for homelessness has resigned over allegations that she evicted tenants from a property she owns and increased rents by hundreds of pounds.

In her resignation letter to United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, Rushanara Ali, a junior minister in the Ministry of Housing, said she had followed all the legal requirements “at all times” in her dealings as a landlord.

Ali, the member of parliament for Bethnal Green and Stepney, evicted four tenants from her four-bedroom house in east London last year as the property was being sold, British outlet The i Paper reported on Wednesday.

The property, which had a monthly rent of 3,300 British pounds (about $4,433), was re-listed for rent and rented out weeks later at 4,000 British pounds ($5,374) after no buyer was found, the report added.

Ali, who has spoken out previously against tenants being exploited by “unreasonable rent increases”, told the prime minister in her resignation letter that she had taken her “responsibilities and duties seriously, and the facts demonstrate this”.

“However, it is clear that continuing in my role will be a distraction from the ambitious work of the government. I have therefore decided to resign from my Ministerial position,” she said.

She added that she was “proud to have contributed to the change this government has delivered in the past year”.

“Working alongside the Deputy Prime Minister, we secured record investment in social and affordable housing, and nearly a billion pounds of funding to alleviate homelessness and rough sleeping,” she said.

The end of rental contracts is considered one of the leading causes of homelessness in Britain, and Starmer’s government is currently preparing a Renters’ Rights Bill that will end short notice “no-fault” evictions by landlords and ban them from re-listing a property for higher rent within six months after eviction.

Ali is the fourth Labour minister to step down under pressure following the exits of the transport minister, Louise Haigh; the anticorruption minister, Tulip Siddiq; and junior health minister, Andrew Gwynne, for separate reasons.

The resignations represent an embarrassing blow for Starmer’s government, with his party trailing Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform UK party in opinion polls just over a year after Labour won a landslide election victory.

A June survey by polling firm YouGov showed that Reform UK would win 271 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons if an election were held now, with the ruling Labour Party second at 178 seats.

The opposition Conservative Party’s chairman, Kevin Hollinrake, has criticised Starmer for presiding “over a government of hypocrisy and self-service”.

Aug. 2 (UPI) — One of the seven members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Adriana Kugler, announced she is stepping down next week, creating an opening for President Donald Trump to fill.

Her term was set to expire in January but Kugler said Friday she will depart in seven days. President Joe Biden appointed Kugler, a 55-year-old labor economist, in September 2023.

Governors’ terms are for 14 years, and Kugler filled an opening.

“The Federal Reserve does important work to help foster a healthy economy and it has been a privilege to work towards that goal on behalf of all Americans for nearly two years,” Kugler said in her resignation letter to Trump. “I am proud to have tackled this role with integrity, a strong commitment to serving the public, and with a data-driven approach strongly based on my expertise in labor markets and inflation.”

Kugler said she plans to return to teaching public policy at Georgetown University in the fall. She was a vice provost for faculty at Georgetown and earned her Ph.D. in economics at the University of California at Berkeley.

“I am especially honored to have served during a critical time in achieving our dual mandate of bringing down prices and keeping a strong and resilient labor market,” she wrote in the letter.

Kugler did not vote on Wednesday when the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at a range of 4.25% to 4.5% for a fifth consecutive meeting. Two of the 11 committee members who did vote dissented, backing Trump’s desire to lower rates.

The 12-member committee includes the seven governors, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and four remaining 11 Reserve Bank presidents who serve one-year terms on a rotating basis.

“We just found out that I have an open spot on the Federal Reserve Board. I’m very happy about that,” Trump said late Friday before boarding Marine One.

He later posted on Truth Social that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell “should resign, just like Adriana Kugler, a Biden Appointee, resigned. She knew he was doing the wrong thing on Interest Rates. He should resign, also!”

The replacement may ultimately replace Powell, whose term ends in May, though he can remain as a governor until 2028.

The president appoints each of the board members and designates one to serve as chair for four years. Trump appointed Powell during his first presidency in 2018. Biden appointed him to another term as chairman.

“Trump’s influence on interest rates will now be felt earlier and more strongly,” Derek Tang, an economist at LHMeyer, an economic consulting firm, told The Washington Post.

Contenders to lead the Fed are National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and Fed governor Christopher Waller, each with distinct strengths, The Washington Post reported. Trump has said he wants Scott Bessent to remain as Treasury secretary.

Trump has sought to replace Powell, calling him on Truth Social “a stubborn MORON” and “too late” on lowering interest rates. But he can only be fired “for cause,” such as malfeasance, neglect of duty or inefficiency, rather than disagreeing with policies.

Experts say his removal could disrupt the financial markets.

Lithuania Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has stepped down following investigations into his business dealings that prompted protests in the Baltic country’s capital calling for his resignation.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda announced Paluckas’ resignation to the media on Thursday morning.

Paluckas confirmed the news in a statement sent by his Social Democrat Party.

Paluckas ascended to the role late last year after a three-party coalition formed following parliamentary elections in October.

More to come…

July 19 (UPI) — Software developer Astronomer says former Chief Executive Officer Andy Byron resigned amid controversy following his attendance at a recent Coldplay concert.

New York-based Astronomer confirmed Byron’s resignation on Saturday and said co-founder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is its interim chief executive officer while its board of directors seeks a permanent replacement for Byron.

“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,” Astronomer officials said Saturday in a post on X.

“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”

Byron is married but was caught attending a Coldplay concert with another woman on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

The stadium’s “kiss cam” zeroed in on Byron with his arms wrapped around a woman standing in front of him during the concert, NBC News reported.

When they realized they were on the kiss cam, Byron ducked out of the camera shot, while the unidentified woman covered her face.

Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin noticed the pair’s reaction during the concert and opined: “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

The video of the moment went viral, and social media sleuths identified the man as Byron.

Astronomer placed him on leave on Friday before accepting his resignation a day later, according to NBC News.

The tech firm is a relatively small company with fewer than 500 employees and noted the viral incident’s impact on its operations.

“While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not,” Astronomer said in its X post.

“We’re continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.”

Lloyd Howell has resigned as executive director of the NFL Players Assn., citing distractions his leadership has caused in recent weeks.

“Two years ago, I accepted the role of Executive Director of the NFLPA because I believe deeply in the mission of this union and the power of collective action to drive positive change for the players of America’s most popular sport,” Howell said in a statement released late Thursday night. “Our members deserve a union that will fight relentlessly for their health, safety, financial futures, and long-term well-being. My priority has been to lead that fight by serving this union with focus and dedication.

“It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day. For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.”

Howell has come under scrutiny since ESPN reported he has maintained a part-time consulting job with the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm that holds league approval to seek minority ownership in NFL franchises.

That followed the revelation that the NFLPA and the league had a confidentiality agreement to keep quiet an arbitrator’s ruling about possible collusion by owners over quarterback salaries.

The latest issue was an ESPN report Thursday that revealed two player representatives who voted for Howell were not aware that he was sued in 2011 for sexual discrimination and retaliation while he was a senior executive at Booz Allen.

“I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish at the NFLPA over the past two years,” Howell said. “I will be rooting for the players from the sidelines as loud as ever, and I know the NFLPA will continue to ensure that players remain firmly at the center of football’s future.”

Labour Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera’s comments dismissing poverty in the Caribbean island nation trigger angry backlash.

Cuban Labour and Social Security Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera has resigned after saying there are no beggars in Cuba, only people pretending to be.

Cuba’s presidency said in a post on social media on Wednesday that Feito had “acknowledged her errors and submitted her resignation” over her “lack of objectivity and sensitivity” in addressing issues that are “at the centre of political and governmental management”.

The news came a day after Feito made the comments about poverty in the island nation to deputies in a National Assembly committee.

“We have seen people, apparently beggars, [but] when you look at their hands, look at the clothes these people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars. They are not beggars,” Feito said.

“In Cuba, there are no beggars,” she said.

The minister added that people cleaning car windscreens live “easy” lives and they use the money they make to “drink alcohol”.

Feito also lashed out against those who search through rubbish dumps, saying they are recovering materials “to resell and not pay tax”.

The remarks quickly went viral, prompting calls for Feito’s impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years.

Even Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was critical.

Without mentioning her by name but referring to the meeting at the National Assembly committee in which Feito participated, Diaz-Canel said on his X account: “The lack of sensitivity in addressing vulnerability is highly questionable. The revolution cannot leave anyone behind; that is our motto, our militant responsibility.”

Cuba blames its economic woes on a Cold War-era United States trade embargo, which complicates financial transactions and the acquisition of essentials, such as fuel and spare parts. The US imposed the embargo in 1960 after the Cuban Revolution, led by Fidel Castro.

The embargo is widely criticised with 185 of 193 countries at the United Nations voting to condemn it.

US President Donald Trump recently tightened sanctions on the island’s Communist Party-run government, pledging to restore a “tough” policy towards the Caribbean country.

Former US President Barack Obama took considerable steps to ease tensions with Cuba during his time in office, including restoring US-Cuba relations and making the first visit by a US president to the country in 90 years. Cuba has also faced an energy crisis and blackouts in recent months as supplies of subsidised Venezuelan oil have become increasingly precarious as Venezuela grapples with its own economic woes.

Last week, the US Department of State imposed sanctions against Diaz-Canel as well as the luxury high-rise Hotel Torre K in central Havana.

Travel and tourism are important to Cuba’s struggling economy with millions of tourists visiting the island nation each year.

According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, Cuba had a gross domestic product of $9,296 per person in 2019, making it an upper middle income country.

Reporting from Washington — Embattled Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta announced his resignation Friday amid mounting criticism of a lenient plea deal he struck with a now-convicted sex offender while Acosta was a federal prosecutor in Florida.

Acosta’s departure, which takes effect next week, means acting secretaries will head four major federal departments. He is the 11th Cabinet official to quit or be forced out, several under ethical or legal clouds, since President Trump took office.

Trump told reporters that Acosta had called him Friday morning to resign, adding, “It’s his decision.” Acosta said he wanted to avoid becoming a distraction to the administration so it could focus on the economy.

The resignation came two days after Acosta held a news conference to try to save his job by defending the plea agreement he negotiated in 2008 with Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier, when Acosta served as U.S. attorney in Miami.

The news conference was aimed in part at persuading a president who is happy to gin up his own controversies but tends to resent bad publicity caused by underlings. Acosta’s effort to absolve himself of responsibility failed after prosecutors in Florida publicly challenged his account.

On Friday, Trump praised Acosta but did not say he had tried to persuade him to stay.

“I do not think it is right and fair for this administration’s Labor Department to have Epstein as its focus,” Acosta said as he stood beside Trump at the White House before the president departed for a trip to Wisconsin and Ohio for fundraising events and a speech.

Trump seemed less concerned.

“Alex believes that. I’m willing to live with anything,” he said. “Alex felt that way.

“He was a great student at Harvard. He’s Hispanic, which I so admire, because maybe it was a little tougher for him and maybe not,” Trump added. “That’s what I know about him. I know one thing — he did a great job.”

Acosta added that “Cabinet positions are temporary trusts,” a fact that is especially notable in Trump’s White House, which has struggled with record turnover.

Acosta’s departure means Patrick Pizzella, the deputy secretary of Labor, will serve as acting secretary. Pizzella’s career also is tinged by controversy.

A former lobbyist, Pizzella was involved in an effort in the late 1990s and early 2000s to prevent the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific, from adopting federal minimum wage laws.

Pizzella worked on the project with Jack Abramoff, an influential lobbyist who later was sentenced to six years in prison for charges related to fraud.

The issue dogged Pizzella during his Senate confirmation hearings for deputy secretary in July 2017.

“One of the key issues you lobbied on was to block bipartisan legislation for basic worker protections in the Northern Mariana Islands, where garment manufacturers could produce clothing labeled made in the USA without having to comply with U.S. minimum wage laws,” then-Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, an umbrella group of 200 activist organizations, later accused Pizzella of working to advocate policies “that essentially allowed for unchecked slave labor to be performed.”

Pizzella was confirmed by the Senate, 50-48.

Acosta’s downfall stems from his role in the prosecution of Epstein, a once-powerful financier who socialized with Donald Trump before he became president and Bill Clinton after he left the White House.

Epstein was charged in 2008 with luring underage girls to his Palm Beach, Fla., mansion for sex.

Under the plea agreement with Acosta’s office, Epstein avoided a federal trial — where, if convicted, he could have faced a potential sentence of life in prison — and pleaded guilty instead to two state felony solicitation charges.

He served 13 months in a county jail but was allowed to go to his office six days a week on a work release program.

In February, a judge ruled that the deal was improper because Acosta did not tell victims about the arrangement. The Justice Department subsequently opened an investigation into Acosta’s handling of the case.

Acosta has denied any wrongdoing, but the deal gave rise to a growing chorus of complaints in the #MeToo era that a sexual predator was granted favorable treatment because of his vast wealth and high-powered social connections.

The controversy reignited last weekend when federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein with bringing underage girls to his opulent Manhattan townhouse and abusing them. He has pleaded not guilty.

Trump’s own ties to Epstein made the episode increasingly awkward for the White House.

Although Trump has tried to distance himself from his former friend, in a 2002 interview with New York magazine, he called Epstein a “terrific guy” and “a lot of fun to be with” while noting that “it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

On Friday,Trump reiterated that he had a falling out with Epstein some years ago and that he is “not a fan.” He did not disclose the nature of their dispute.

Acosta had run afoul of the White House before Epstein’s legal problems reemerged. Some of Trump’s advisors had complained that Acosta failed to aggressively pursue deregulation and other pro-business initiatives the president favored.

Before he joined the Trump administration, Acosta served on the National Labor Relations Board and in the Justice Department’s civil rights division under President George W. Bush.

He later was a well-respected dean of Florida International University, a public university in Miami. Much of his role in the Epstein case was known publicly when Trump selected him.

But unlike other presidents who have broad connections in government, Trump came to office as an outsider and relied on the judgment of others to fill out his staff. Vetting in many cases appeared cursory at best.

Acosta said Friday that he had never met or spoken with Trump when he came for an interview in early 2017 and was offered the job.

Like many others who have come into Trump’s orbit, he leaves as a damaged figure.

No modern president has lost as many Cabinet officials or senior advisors in his entire first term as Trump has in his first 30 months, according to records maintained by Kathryn Dunn Tenpas for the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan think tank.

“No matter how you slice the data, the turnover is off the charts,” Tenpas said.

“It handicaps a president’s capacity to enhance his agenda or fulfill his campaign promises,” she added.

In all, eight secretaries who have left permanent Cabinet posts have done so under pressure or protest.

Only one moved to another administration job. That was John F. Kelly, who left as secretary of Homeland Security to become White House chief of staff. Kelly left the latter post in January after multiple disputes with Trump, and his replacement, Mick Mulvaney, is still in an acting capacity.

Three other Cabinet officials who do not head permanent Cabinet departments also left — one under pressure and two voluntarily.

Trump has said he likes the flexibility of having officials serve in an acting capacity, and his propensity to replace people has prompted those aides to work especially hard to stay in his good graces, flattering the president often in public.

That was on display Thursday when Trump held a Rose Garden event to announce an embarrassing retreat — he was giving up his fight to add a citizenship question on the U.S. census after being rebuffed by the Supreme Court.

Rather than admit defeat, Atty. Gen. William Barr praised Trump repeatedly. “Congratulations again, Mr. President,” he said.

The constant speculation about which of Trump’s aides will be next to fall — published reports Friday suggested Direction of National Intelligence Dan Coats may be on the edge — has distracted from the White House agenda.

“It means that people are focusing not on the mission of the organization, but they’re focusing on the water cooler chat about who’s going to be their boss and who’s going to be sticking around,” said Max Stier, chief executive of Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan nonprofit group focused on making government work better.

When top government advisors leave or face uncertain futures, their subordinates are also at risk of replacement, creating instability throughout the agency.

Trump’s picks have been surrounded by more controversy in part because he often selects them hastily, announcing appointments before they have been vetted.

July 9 (UPI) — Jason Moran, an acclaimed pianist, composer, educator, bandleader and recording artist, said he has left his position as jazz artistic director at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

The center, which receives federal funds, has undergone dramatic changes since Donald Trump became president again and he installed himself as chairman. He ousted arts center President Deborah Rutter and Board Chairman David Rubenstein, and replaced board members appointed by former President Biden.

A number of artists have been replaced or have voluntarily quit, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who canceled a run of his Broadway hit, Hamilton, next year.

The Kennedy Center declined to comment to NPR.

Moran, who accepted the position in 2011, one year after his predecessor, Billy Taylor, died, didn’t mention any disagreements with Trump or others in a post on Tuesday on Instagram.

Moran, 50, described “14 years of inviting thousands of artists to share their work with audiences.” And he was grateful “to an incredible staff that ushered artists from the negotiation to the after party.”

In his role, he developed programming and curated artists for one of the largest jazz programs in the United States.

He hosted performances and education programs that included the National Endowment for the Arts’ “NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert” and Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, a residency for emerging artists of which Moran is an alum.

Moran, who scored the films Selma and 13th, tours the world as a performer. In 2010, he was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship.

“Thank you to the composers, comedians, choreographers, performance artists, skateboarders, filmmakers, authors, illustrators, dancers, photographers, sculptors, scientists, crews and on and on,” he wrote. “These young ones are beautifying the stage. And with that, I bowed on Juneteenth.”

Moran, who was born in Houston, began studying the piano at age 6, according to information posted on the Kennedy Center website. He attended Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and then Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

At the college, he attended a class by saxophonist Sonny Rollins.

“My first day on the job at The Kennedy Center was when Sonny Rollins was receiving his Kennedy Center Honor,” Moran wrote,

The center, which includes a 2,465-seat Concert Hall, the 2,347-seat Opera House, the 1,161-seat Eisenhower Theater and the 320-seat Family Theater, made its public debut on Sept. 8, 1971.

Trump attended the opening night of Les Miserables on June 11.

During his first term, Trump didn’t attend a performance there, including the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony after several performers honored at the annual gala spoke out against him.