Ministers warned of cuts as ‘every pound’ of spending to face reviewThe leader of Sinn Fein has expressed determination to form a government of the left in Ireland as she insisted her party’s performance in the General Election had broken the state’s political mould. Despite Mary Lou McDonald’s confidence around shaping a coalition without Fine Gael and Fianna Fail – the two parties that have dominated the landscape of Irish politics for a century – the pathway to government for Sinn Fein still appears challenging. With counting following Friday’s election still in the relatively early stages – after an exit poll that showed the main three parties effectively neck-and-neck – there is some way to go before the final picture emerges and the options for government formation crystalise. Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, Simon Harris, has dismissed talk of a Sinn Fein surge and said he was “cautiously optimistic” about where his party will stand after all the votes are counted. Meanwhile, Ireland’s deputy premier and Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin, insisted his party has a “very clear route back to government” as he predicted seat gains. The counting process could last days because of Ireland’s complex system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV), where candidates are ranked by preference. The early indications have turned the focus to the tricky arithmetic of government formation, as the country’s several smaller parties and many independents potentially jockey for a place in government. Ms McDonald told reporters at the RDS count centre in Dublin that she would be “very, very actively pursuing” the potential to form a government with other parties on the left of the political spectrum. The smaller, left-leaning parties in Ireland include the Social Democrats, the Irish Labour Party, the Green Party and People Before Profit-Solidarity. Ms McDonald said her party had delivered an “incredible performance” in the election. “I think it’s fair to say that we have now confirmed that we have broken the political mould here in this state,” she said. “Two party politics is now gone. It’s consigned to the dustbin of history and that, in itself, is very significant.” She added: “I am looking to bring about a government of change, and I’m going to go and look at all formulations. “If you want my bottom line, the idea of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for another five years, in our strong opinion, is not a good outcome for Irish society. “Obviously, I want to talk to other parties of the left and those that we share very significant policy objectives with. So I’m going to do that first and just hear their mind, hear their thinking. But be very clear, we will be very, very actively pursuing entrance into government.” In Friday night’s exit poll, Sinn Fein was predicted to take 21.1% of first-preference votes, narrowly ahead of outgoing coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail at 21% and 19.5% respectively. Prior to the election, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael both ruled out entering government with Sinn Fein. Fine Gael leader Mr Harris rejected suggestions Sinn Fein had broken new ground. He told reporters in his count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow: “Certainly we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it. “I mean, it looks likely, on the figures that we’ve seen now, fewer people, many fewer people would have voted Sinn Fein in this election than the last one. “In fact, I think they’re down by around 5% and actually the parties, particularly the two parties, the two larger parties in government, are likely to receive significant support from the electorate. So definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented.” He said it was too early to tell what the next government would look like. “I think anybody who makes any suggestion about who is going to be the largest party or the construct of the next government, they’re a braver person than I am,” he said. “Our electoral system dictates that there’ll be many, many transfers that will go on for hours, if not days, before we know the final computations at all. “But what I am very confident about is that my party will have a very significant role to play in the years ahead, and I’m cautiously optimistic and excited.” Fianna Fail’s Mr Martin told reporters at a count centre in Cork he was confident that the numbers exist to form a government with parties that shared his political viewpoint. Mr Martin said it “remains to be seen” whether he would return to the role of Taoiseach – a position he held between 2020 and 2022 – but he expressed confidence his party would outperform the exit poll prediction. “It’s a bit too early yet to call the exact type of government that will be formed or the composition of the next government,” he said. “But I think there are, there will be a sufficiency of seats, it seems to me, that aligns with the core principles that I articulated at the outset of this campaign and throughout the campaign, around the pro-enterprise economy, around a positively pro-European position, a government that will strongly push for home ownership and around parties that are transparently democratic in how they conduct their affairs.” Asked if it would be in a coalition with Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Social Democrats, he said that would be “racing a bit too far ahead”. The final result may dictate that if Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are to return to government, they may need more than one junior partner, or potentially the buy-in of several independent TDs. Mr Martin said it was unclear how quickly a government can be formed, as he predicted his party would gain new seats. “It will be challenging. This is not easy,” he added. The junior partner in the outgoing government – the Green Party – looks set for a bruising set of results. Green leader Roderic O’Gorman is in a fight to hold onto his seat, as are a number of party colleagues, including Media Minister Catherine Martin. “It’s clear the Green Party has not had a good day,” he said. The early counting also suggested potential trouble for Fianna Fail in Wicklow, where the party’s only candidate in the constituency, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, is considered to have a battle ahead, with the risk of losing his seat. Meanwhile, there is significant focus on independent candidate Gerard Hutch who, on Saturday evening, was sitting in fourth place in the four-seat constituency of Dublin Central. Last spring, Mr Hutch was found not guilty by the non-jury Special Criminal Court of the murder of David Byrne, in one of the first deadly attacks of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud. Mr Byrne, 33, died after being shot six times at a crowded boxing weigh-in event at the Regency Hotel in February 2016. A Special Criminal Court judge described Mr Hutch, 61, as the patriarchal figurehead of the Hutch criminal organisation and said he had engaged in “serious criminal conduct”. The constituency will be closely watched as other hopefuls wait to see if transfers from eliminated candidates may eventually rule him out of contention. In the constituency of Louth, the much-criticised selection of John McGahon appeared not to have paid off for Fine Gael. The party’s campaign was beset by questioning over footage entering the public domain of the candidate engaged in a fight outside a pub in 2018. The Social Democrats have a strong chance of emerging as the largest of the smaller parties. The party’s leader, Holly Cairns, was already celebrating before a single vote was counted however, having announced the birth of her baby girl on polling day.fc188.ph 。

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s return to the White House will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term. In court filings, Smith’s team emphasized that the move to abandon their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” the prosecutors wrote in one of their filings. Smith’s team said it was leaving intact charges against two co-defendants in the classified documents case — Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” Steven Cheung, Trump’s incoming White House communications director, welcomed the decision to drop the prosecutions against the president-elect, describing it as a “major victory for the rule of law.” “The American People and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country,” Cheung said in a statement. Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will re-enter the White House free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead. The election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing Trump as he tried to reclaim the White House. He was indicted for plotting to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort that climaxed with his supporters’ violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But the case quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House. The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial. The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will of voters after he lost to Biden. The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency. The indictment included dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing federal efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. The case quickly became snarled by delays, with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon slow to issue rulings — which favored Trump’s strategy of pushing off deadlines in all his criminal cases — while also entertaining defense motions and arguments that experts said other judges would have dispensed with without hearings. In May, she indefinitely canceled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues before dismissing the case outright two months later. Smith’s team appealed the decision, but now has given up that effort. Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this story. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Supposed Greene quip comparing Gaetz's conduct to all of Congress was satire | Fact check

North Melbourne will receive the premiership cup from an 11-year-old girl in a touching gesture should the Kangaroos prevail in Saturday night’s AFLW grand final. The Kangaroos announced on Wednesday that the honour would go to Good Friday game ambassador Imogen Mulgrew after she had left a “profound” impact on the club’s players and staff this year. Kangaroos Bella Eddey and Emma King joined Imogen earlier this month for her special “ring the bell” moment as she celebrated the end of 21⁄2 years’ treatment for leukaemia at the Royal Children’s Hospital. It came as Brisbane announced retiring defender and 2021 premiership player Kate Lutkins would present the cup to the Lions after she called time on her career on Tuesday. Imogen Mulgrew, 11, will present the premiership cup to North Melbourne if the Kangaroos win the AFLW grand final at Ikon Park on Saturday night. Picture: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images Imogen tossed the coin in the AFL Good Friday match earlier this year and remained involved with the Kangaroos, with chief executive Jen Watt lauding her effect on the club. “Imogen’s resilience, spirit and easy-go-lucky demeanour struck a chord with our players, our football department, our staff and all footy fans far and wide this past year,” Watt said. “Not only has Imogen’s impact been profound, she represents everything our team stands for and we couldn’t think of a more perfect person for this role.” Lutkins, an inaugural Lion, made three All-Australian teams and won the club’s best and fairest in her second season as she rapidly established herself as a premier key defender in the competition. After a break from the game last season to welcome her first child, the 36-year-old returned for the first time since the 2022 grand final loss to Melbourne to play in the first two games of the season. Champion Brisbane defender Kate Lutkins will present the cup to the Lions after announcing her retirement on Tuesday. Picture: Albert Perez / Getty Images “Kate has been one of the best to pull on a Lions guernsey and on the back of her recent retirement we see this as a great way to acknowledge her contribution to the game,” Lions boss Greg Swann said. “Kate has been integral part of what we’ve built at this club from an AFLW point of view and to have her present the cup to Craig (Starcevich) and Bre (Koenen), who have both been here for the whole journey, would be a special moment for this footy club.” Lutkins said she was “incredibly honoured and humbled” to present the cup if the Lions claimed back-to-back flags under lights at Ikon Park. “I think it will be one of my proudest football moments handing that cup to Bre and Craig if they win on Saturday,” she said. Originally published as AFLW grand final: North Melbourne, Brisbane unveil premiership cup presenters AFL Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. More related stories AFL Secret catch-up revealed, Swans cop warning The Swans have a huge challenge on their hands following the departure of John Longmire after a secret Chad Warner catch-up was revealed. Read more AFL ‘I had both jobs’: Drum’s enduring regret over secret Pies talks As pressure mounted on Tony Shaw at Collingwood in 1998, the club held secret talks with Damian Drum. For the first time, he speaks on the SACKED podcast about how close he came to being Collingwood’s coach. Read more

Canva and Adobe Express are two powerful tools in the world of graphic design and content creation. While both platforms offer impressive features, Canva has positioned itself as a favorite among beginners, professionals, and businesses due to its simplicity, affordability, and extensive capabilities. Here is a detailed exploration of the top features that make Canva stand out over Adobe Express. Canva’s Template Advantage: Canva boasts one of the largest libraries of pre-designed templates, covering a wide range of categories, including social media posts, presentations, infographics, business cards, and more. With over 610,000 templates, Canva caters to virtually every design need. Customization : Templates are highly customizable, allowing users to adjust layouts, colors, fonts, and elements to match branding requirements. Variety : Canva provides options for specific platforms like Instagram stories, LinkedIn posts, or YouTube thumbnails, saving time and ensuring optimal dimensions. In contrast, Adobe Express offers a decent range of templates but falls short in variety and volume compared to Canva’s extensive offerings. Intuitive Design Experience: Canva’s drag-and-drop interface is user-friendly and accessible, even for those with no prior design experience. Elements like text, images, and shapes can be effortlessly placed, resized, or rotated. Ease of Use : No learning curve is needed, making it ideal for beginners. Fast Workflow : Canva streamlines the design process, allowing users to create polished visuals in minutes. Adobe Express, while also straightforward, incorporates more advanced tools that can feel overwhelming for novice users. Real-Time Collaboration Made Easy: Canva enables teams to work collaboratively on designs in real time. Features : Multiple users can edit, comment, and provide feedback directly on the project. Team Folders : Canva Pro users can organize designs in shared folders for easy access and management. Brand Kit : Teams can ensure consistency by using pre-saved brand elements, including logos, fonts, and colors. Adobe Express lacks robust collaboration tools, making Canva the preferred choice for teams working on shared projects. Affordable for All Users: Canva offers an impressive free version with access to thousands of templates, design elements, and fonts. What’s Free : Users can create designs, access 250,000+ free templates, and use up to 5 GB of storage. Upgrade to Pro : Canva Pro unlocks additional features like premium templates, 100 GB of storage, and the ability to schedule social media posts, but the free version remains highly functional. Adobe Express’s free plan is more limited, restricting access to premium templates and advanced editing tools. Built-In Social Media Scheduling: Canva Pro includes a Content Planner , allowing users to design and schedule posts directly to social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , and Twitter. Integrated Workflow : Eliminates the need for third-party scheduling tools. Ease of Use : Users can create, schedule, and publish content without leaving the platform. Adobe Express does not currently offer an integrated content scheduling feature, giving Canva a significant edge for social media marketers. Access to Millions of Stock Assets: Canva provides access to a vast library of stock photos, videos, and audio tracks, available in both free and Pro versions. Diverse Options : Over 75 million images and videos are available with Canva Pro. Audio Integration : Canva allows users to add background music or sound effects to videos. Adobe Express includes stock assets from Adobe Stock but offers fewer options in its free version and focuses more on paid plans. Versatility in Motion Graphics: Canva offers tools for creating animated designs and videos with minimal effort. Pre-Set Animations : Users can apply animations to text, images, or elements with one click. Video Editing : Canva’s video editor includes features like trimming, transitions, and adding text overlays, making it ideal for creating marketing videos, presentations, or social media content. Adobe Express also offers video editing, but Canva’s simplicity and intuitive interface make it more accessible to non-professionals. Seamless Mobile Experience: Canva’s mobile app is a robust extension of its desktop platform, offering the same functionality on the go. Ease of Access : Create, edit, and share designs directly from a smartphone. Cloud Syncing : Projects are seamlessly synced across devices. Adobe Express’s mobile app is functional but lacks the intuitive interface and seamless experience Canva provides. Smart Tools for Quick Edits: Canva includes AI-powered features like Magic Resize, which allows users to adjust designs to different dimensions with one click. Background Remover : Canva Pro includes an AI tool to remove backgrounds from images instantly. Content Suggestions : Canva provides design recommendations based on user input, streamlining the creative process. While Adobe Express incorporates AI tools, Canva’s integration of these features is more user-friendly and widely accessible. Empowering Everyone to Design: Canva’s primary appeal lies in its ability to make professional-quality design accessible to everyone. Ease of Learning : Tutorials, tips, and a straightforward interface make it approachable. Variety of Use Cases : Canva caters to personal, professional, and educational needs, from creating classroom presentations to designing wedding invitations. Adobe Express, while powerful, is often better suited for users with some design experience, limiting its appeal to beginners. Canva stands out as a versatile, user-friendly design platform that caters to a wide audience, from individuals and small businesses to large teams. Its vast template library, drag-and-drop simplicity, robust collaboration tools, and affordable pricing make it a powerful tool for modern content creation. While Adobe Express offers advanced features and professional-grade tools, Canva’s accessibility and feature-rich offerings make it the preferred choice for many users. Whether for social media campaigns, video editing, or collaborative projects, Canva continues to lead as a go-to design platform in 2025.