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UK PM Truss Unveils Non-white Top Cabinet Members

Published

3 years ago

September 6, 2022

Liz Truss

Liz Truss on Tuesday unveiled her new top team as she formally took over from Boris Johnson as UK prime minister, with no place for white men in any of the three senior-most cabinet posts for the first time ever.

As expected, she rewarded allies to her during her victorious Conservative leadership campaign, promoting Kwasi Kwarteng to finance, James Cleverly to foreign affairs and Suella Braverman to interior.

The son of Ghanaian immigrants, Kwarteng is the country’s first black chancellor of the exchequer. His immediate focus will be turning round Britain’s dire economic fortunes.

Cleverly is a mixed-race army reservist who served under Truss at the foreign office, while Braverman, whose parents are of Indian origin from Kenya and Mauritius, inherits a tricky brief from Priti Patel.

Cigar-smoking Truss loyalist, Therese Coffey, was made health secretary and deputy prime minister, Downing Street said in a slew of announcements.

Ben Wallace retained the defence ministry, with Truss vowing to extend Johnson’s staunch support for Ukraine.

– Storm clouds –
Truss – Britain’s third female prime minister and the fourth Tory premier in just six years – earlier promised sunnier days ahead despite the current economic gloom.

Heavy rain and thunder forced her supporters to scramble for cover as they waited for her to arrive in Downing Street to make her inaugural speech.

But the clouds lifted as the 47-year-old former foreign secretary’s motorcade swept in, and she vowed that the country would “ride out the storm” of double-digit inflation and soaring energy prices.

“I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply,” she said.

“As strong as the storm may be, I know that the British people are stronger,” she added, outlining her priorities as the economy, energy and health.

Truss became Tory leader on Monday after a summer-long campaign sparked by a rebellion against Johnson in July after a series of scandals.

She arrived in Downing Street after a 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometre) round trip from London to see Queen Elizabeth II in the Scottish Highlands, where she accepted the invitation to form a government.

As soon as Thursday, Truss is expected to sanction a freeze on household energy bills to prevent steep hikes this winter, and possibly beyond, at a cost of tens of billions of pounds.

– Energy crisis –
Hard-pressed households facing 80-per cent increases in electricity and gas bills from October have demanded immediate action to prevent millions being forced to choose between heating and eating this winter.

Businesses have also warned they could be forced to close because of even steeper hikes in energy costs.

Truss, who touts herself as a free-market liberal, has promised tax cuts to stimulate growth, despite warnings that greater borrowing could make inflation worse.

The contrast to her beaten leadership rival Rishi Sunak’s more cautious approach has opened another rift in the Conservative party that was already divided by Johnson’s departure.

Recent opinion polls suggest a sizeable chunk of the British public have no faith in her ability to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

A new poll by YouGov said only 14 percent expect Truss to do a better job than Johnson.

– Comeback? –
Johnson, whose tenure was dominated by Brexit and Covid, and cut short by the succession of scandals, earlier promised Truss his unswerving support as he made a farewell speech in Downing Street.

“I will be supporting Liz Truss and the new government every step of the way,” he said, before leaving for Balmoral to tender his resignation to the queen.

He urged the Tories to put aside their ideological differences which have seen the party fight like Downing Street’s cats and dogs over how best to tackle the energy crisis.

But the former newspaper polemicist failed to dampen speculation that he is eyeing a potential return to the political front line.

“Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough,” Johnson said. Latin scholars were quick to point out that the Roman statesman eventually returned to politics.

Johnson, 58, remains popular among grassroots Tories as a charismatic election winner who took the country out of the European Union.

Despite repeated accusations of corruption and cronyism during his tenure, and an unprecedented police fine for breaking his own lockdown rules, Johnson is said to be smarting at having to leave.

Speculation has swirled that he could bide his time for a comeback, particularly if Truss struggles to overcome the country’s many problems.

Truss has ruled out seeking her own mandate at an early general election, promising to extend the Tories’ 12 years in power from 2024.

AFP.

Headline

US Reality Star, Rolling Ray, Dies At 28

Published

3 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Reality TV star, Raymond Harper, popularly known as Rolling Ray, has died at the age of 28.

His mother confirmed the news to TMZ, while his home network, Zeus, also announced his passing.

In a tribute on Instagram, Zeus Network described him as “gone way too soon,” praising his impact on their productions, including Bobby I Love You, Purr and The Conversation.

“Gone way too soon. #RestInPeace to the BIG hearted, most Raw, & Real FRIEND & #Zeus Star #RaymondHarper aka @iamrollingray. Your Laughter, Light, & Loving Spirit will Live on FOREVER,” the network wrote.

Rolling Ray first gained attention in 2018 after appearing on MTV’s Catfish: Trolls before going viral in 2019 with his appearance on Divorce Court. He built a strong social media presence, amassing over 449,000 Instagram followers and a growing TikTok audience.

He is also widely credited with popularising the catchphrase “purr,” now used globally as a slang expression of excitement and approval.

Born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 3, a genetic condition that weakens muscles over time, doctors once predicted he would not live past 14. However, Ray defied expectations and went on to live a full life.

Reflecting on his journey in a 2023 interview, he said:

“At first, they said I was going to die at 14 years old. The doctor was wrong. Science changed, and doctors are not always right. God is good.”

Headline

6 CEOs Fired Over Secret Affairs

Published

5 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are expected to be professional, have boundaries and uphold ethical leadership. This is because, in most cases, one must have climbed up many ladders to become a CEO.

And if not careful, those years of experience can fade away in a single stand.

This is because some companies have policies that forbid workers from having a romantic affair with each other.

And if found culpable. The punishments are not novel. Some CEOs have been fired over secret affairs that failed to align with their companies’ principles hence.

Here are the CEOs fired over secret affairs:

1. Laurent Freixe
Laurent Freixe was the former CEO of Nestle. He was fired on 2 September 2025 after an investigation revealed that he was having an affair with his subordinate.

This action by Freixe violates the code of business conduct of the company. His case was investigated and chaired by Paul Bulcke and Pablo Isla alongside other independent counsel.

In Freire’s place, Nestle appointed Philipp Navratil as the new chief executive officer.

2. Alan Shaw
Alan Shaw is an American business executive. He was the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Norfolk Southern Corporation, a provider of rail transport services.

His tenure which lasted two years, ended on 11 September 2024, after he was found guilty of having an affair with Nabanita Nag, the company’s executive vice president corporate affairs, chief legal officer and corporate secretary, effective.

Shaw, whose tenure was described as “turbulent”, was replaced by Mark George, the former CFO of the company.

3. Ashley Buchanan
Ashley Buchanan was dismissed in May 2025 as the head of Kohl (a retail company) months after his appointment.

After a thorough investigation, the company discovered that Buchanan was in a romantic relationship with a woman called Chandra Holt, the founder of Incredibrew, a coffee business.

Ashley made her do business with Kohl; unknown to the management they were lovers until it was unraveled.

4. Steve Easterbrook
Steve Easterbrook was the former CEO fired from an American fast food company, McDonalds.

He was appointed in March 2015 but his appointment was terminated on 1 November 2019 by the board of directors after Steve was found guilty of having a romantic affair with an employee — a violation of the company’s policies.

5. Nadine Ahn
Nadine Ahn is an experienced and expert in banking, capital markets, corporate development and strategy.

She was the chief financial officer of Royal Bank of Canada. Unfortunately, Ahn was dismissed for having a romantic relationship with one of her subordinates. She was caught hugging and kissing Ken Mason as they exited the elevator of the Royal York Hotel, Canada.

6. Andy Byron
Andy Byron, a seasoned software executive, was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Astronomer, a private company focused on building reliable data products and power data-driven applications.

Bryony became famous after being caught on camera caressing (which actually went viral on social media) Kristin Cabot, the company’s HR officer during a concert.

Bryony was compelled to resign or better put: fired.
(TRIBUNE)

Headline

Daniel Levy Makes Shock Decision To Quit As Spurs Chairman

Published

22 hours ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

Daniel Levy stepped down as Tottenham executive chairman in a shock move on Thursday after a controversial reign lasting nearly 25 years.

Levy was the driving force behind Tottenham’s £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) stadium and state of the art training centre.

But the 63-year-old was a polarising figure among Tottenham fans, with numerous protests against him during difficult spell for the Premier League team.

Levy, who was the longest-serving chairman in the Premier League, had come under fire more than ever over the last few seasons.

A series of failed managerial appointments and the club’s transfer policy infuriated supporters and turned up the heat on Levy, who was accused of caring more about the club’s financial profits than success on the pitch.

Tottenham endured their worst top-flight finish since 1976-77 last season, coming 17th before salvaging the campaign by winning the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League.

That success — which ended Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought — was not enough to spare boss Ange Postecoglou from Levy’s wrath as the Australian was sacked after two turbulent seasons in charge.

Levy hired Thomas Frank from Brentford to replace Postecoglou in the last significant decision of his reign.

“I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees. We have built this club into a global heavyweight competing at the highest level,” Levy said in a statement.

“More than that, we have built a community. I was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest people in this sport, from the team at Lilywhite House and Hotspur Way to all the players and managers over the years.

“I wish to thank all the fans that have supported me over the years. It hasn’t always been an easy journey but significant progress has been made. I will continue to support this club passionately.”

Vinai Venkatesham was hired as Tottenham’s chief executive officer in April, while Peter Charrington joined the board in March and will step into the newly created role of Non-Executive Chairman.

– ‘A new era of leadership’ –

“I am very honoured to become Non-Executive Chairman of this extraordinary Club and, on behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Daniel and his family for their commitment and loyalty to the Club over so many years,” Charrington said.

“This is a new era of leadership for the club, on and off the pitch. I do recognise there has been a lot of change in recent months as we put in place new foundations for the future.

“We are now fully focused on stability and empowering our talented people across the Club, led by Vinai and his executive team.”

Since Levy took the reins in 2001, Tottenham had won just two trophies, with the 2008 League Cup followed by the long wait that ended with last season’s Europa League final victory over Manchester United.

Levy became renowned for his ruthless sacking of managers as the likes of Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino and Nuno Espirito Santo were dismissed.

Tottenham’s best period under Levy came during Pochettino’s spell.

The Argentine led Tottenham to three successive top three finishes in the Premier League and reached the 2019 Champions League final.

Even Pochettino couldn’t escape Levy’s axe, but the spotlight eventually turned on the chairman.

Tottenham fans were furious as their side spluttering badly last season and a difficult summer transfer window, which saw the club miss out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze only increased the pressure on Levy.

One banner displayed last season at Levy’s pride and joy — the gleaming 62,000-capacity stadium that opened in 2019 — summed up the divisive nature of his reign.

“24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy – time for change” it said.

While Tottenham eventually added a trophy to that meagre haul in the Levy era, the disillusioned supporters have finally got their wish.

There will be no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure of the club following Levy’s departure.