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I love looking into the future and thinking about how the world around us may work in the near future.

As the former policy director for transport for London, I’ve had the privilege of shaping the evolution of urban mobility in one of the world’s most dynamic cities. From delivering a new cycle hire scheme, re-designing road space, pushing forward the adoption of EVs and making the case for the £18bn Crossrail line, my experiences have given me unique set of insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for global metropolises as they grapple with the future of transportation. I’d like to share my thoughts on how emerging technologies, particularly electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, are set to revolutionise urban mobility.

For decades, cities worldwide have struggled with a fundamental challenge: how to move millions of people efficiently and sustainably within limited space. In London, we faced this head-on, implementing innovative solutions like the congestion charge and investing heavily in public transport infrastructure. Yet, despite these efforts, the car remains a dominant mode of transport for many urban dwellers.

The root of this problem lies in the finite nature of road space. As cities grow denser and more populous, the competition for this limited resource intensifies. Buses, cyclists, pedestrians, and an ever-growing array of delivery vehicles all vie for their share of the road. This congestion impacts individual journey times while also affecting a city’s overall economic attractiveness.

Journey Time Reliability and the Promise of EVTOL Technology

One metric that often goes unnoticed in discussions about urban transport is journey time reliability. It’s not just about how quickly you can get from point A to point B, but how consistent the time is when you make that trip. This consistency is crucial for a city’s competitiveness and livability. After all, what good is a fast transport system if you can’t rely on it to get you to work on time?

This is where the exciting potential of electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles comes into play. For over a century, the idea of flying cars has captured our imagination. Now, thanks to advancements in electric propulsion and artificial intelligence-driven control systems, this science-fiction dream is on the cusp of becoming reality.

EVTOL technology offers a tantalising solution to the urban mobility conundrum. By utilising the three-dimensional space above our cities, we can potentially alleviate ground-level congestion while providing a fast, efficient mode of transport. These vehicles promise to be cleaner and quieter than traditional aircraft, making them more suitable for urban environments.

The Integration Challenge

However, integrating eVTOL vehicles into existing urban transportation networks is not without its challenges. We need to consider:

— Infrastructure development: Cities will need to create networks of vertiports — dedicated takeoff and landing areas for eVTOL vehicles.

— Air traffic management: We’ll need sophisticated AI-driven systems to manage the complex choreography of ground and air traffic.

— Safety and regulation: Stringent safety standards and regulatory frameworks will be crucial to ensure public trust and safety.

— Noise and environmental impact: While quieter than helicopters, the widespread use of eVTOL vehicles will still have acoustic and visual impacts on urban environments.

— Accessibility and equity: We must ensure that this new mode of transport doesn’t become an exclusive service for the wealthy, but rather integrates with and enhances existing public transport systems.

The successful integration of eVTOL technology into urban mobility systems will heavily rely on artificial intelligence. AI will be crucial in managing the complex, three-dimensional traffic patterns that will emerge when we add a significant number of flying vehicles to our urban airspace.

Moreover, AI will play a vital role in optimising routes, managing energy consumption, and ensuring safety through predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring of vehicle and environmental conditions. The synergy between eVTOL technology and AI has the potential to create a truly smart, efficient, and responsive urban mobility system.

Imagine a future where your daily commute involves taking an electric flying taxi from a nearby vertiport, bypassing ground traffic entirely. This isn’t a far-off dream. It could be a reality within the next decade. Companies are already testing eVTOL prototypes, and cities like London are beginning to plan for the infrastructure needed to support this new mode of transport.

However, it’s important to note that eVTOL vehicles are not a silver bullet for all urban mobility challenges. They will be part of a broader, integrated transport ecosystem that includes traditional public transport, cycling, walking, and ground-based vehicles. The key to success will be in creating seamless connections between these various modes of transport.

Embracing the Three-Dimensional City

It’s time to expand our thinking beyond the two-dimensional constraints of road networks. The integration of eVTOL technology represents a shift toward truly three-dimensional urban planning.

This transition won’t happen overnight, and it will require close collaboration between city planners, technology companies, regulators, and citizens. But the potential benefits — reduced congestion, improved air quality, and enhanced urban mobility — make it a journey worth undertaking.

The future of personal urban mobility is about more than just getting from A to B faster. It’s about reimagining our cities as dynamic, three-dimensional spaces where ground and air transportation seamlessly intertwine. It’s an exciting prospect, and one that I believe will fundamentally transform the way we live, work, and move in our cities.

Read more:
The Sky’s the Limit: The Future of Urban Mobility in Global Cities by Lord Kulveer Ranger, Vice-chair AI All Party Parliamentary Group

Aircraft mechanics are the unsung heroes of the aviation industry. They ensure planes are safe, reliable, and ready to soar.

For over a decade, Riadel Manzano has dedicated her career to this demanding and rewarding field.

A Childhood Dream Takes Flight

Growing up in East Williston, New York, Riadel often watched planes flying overhead. “I was always fascinated by how they worked,” she recalls. “I wanted to understand the systems and mechanics behind something so powerful.” That curiosity shaped her career path.

After graduating from W. T. Clarke High School in 2005, Riadel attended Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology. She earned a degree in Aviation Maintenance and her Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certification. As one of the few women in her program, Riadel faced challenges. “It wasn’t always easy,” she admits. “But I was determined to prove that I belonged in this industry.”

Building Skills and Earning Recognition

Riadel started her career at Horizon Regional Airlines in Albany. She spent four years honing her skills in engine diagnostics, avionics troubleshooting, and airframe repairs. “Those early years were about learning as much as I could,” she says. “I wanted to build a strong foundation.”

In 2015, she joined Northeast Commuter Airways as a Maintenance Specialist. Her work involved tackling more complex tasks, and her attention to detail earned her recognition. In 2016, she received the “Excellence in Aircraft Safety” award. “Safety is at the core of everything we do,” Riadel explains. “One small oversight can have huge consequences.”

Mentoring and Paving the Way

Since 2018, Riadel has worked as a Senior Aircraft Mechanic at Skyline Airlines, based at LaGuardia Airport. Her role involves solving intricate maintenance problems, ensuring planes meet strict safety standards, and mentoring junior mechanics. “Helping the next generation of mechanics is one of my favorite parts of the job,” she says. “It’s rewarding to pass on what I’ve learned.”

Riadel is also passionate about encouraging diversity in aviation. Women make up less than 3% of aircraft mechanics in the U.S. She’s working to change that by mentoring young women and promoting STEM education. “Representation matters,” she says. “I want girls to see that they can thrive in this field.”

The industry is evolving, and Riadel is excited about what’s next. Hybrid and electric aircraft are emerging technologies that will shape the future of aviation. “It’s an exciting time to be in this field,” she says. “There’s so much to learn and adapt to.”

Life Beyond the Hangar

When she’s not working, Riadel enjoys building model airplanes and exploring aviation museums. She also loves hiking and traveling, often combining these passions to visit places with rich aviation histories.

Looking ahead, Riadel has big plans. She hopes to specialize in hybrid aircraft maintenance and create a scholarship program to support aspiring female mechanics. “I want to give back to an industry that’s given me so much,” she says.

Her advice for anyone considering a career in aviation? “Be curious and persistent,” she says. “It’s not always easy, but the rewards are worth it. The sky is truly the limit.”

Riadel’s journey is one of passion, determination, and a commitment to making the skies safer for everyone. Through her work and advocacy, she’s inspiring others to aim high and dream big.

Read more:
Flying High: Riadel Manzano’s Journey in Aviation

Turnitin has long been a trusted tool for detecting plagiarism in academic settings. However, with the growing reliance on AI-generated text for academic writing, many students and researchers are searching for ways to ensure their content is authentic while avoiding detection.

Bypassing Turnitin with integrity requires humanizing AI-generated text, ensuring it reads naturally and retains its originality.

This is where Humanize.io comes into play. Humanize.io is a robust AI humanizer that transforms AI-generated content into authentic, human-like text—all for free. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use it effectively.

Why Bypass Turnitin with Humanize AI Tools?

Turnitin’s sophisticated algorithms are designed to detect similarities between submitted work and existing content, including AI-generated text. This poses challenges for students or professionals using AI to draft essays, reports, or other documents.

By using tools like Humanize.io, users can confidently transform AI-generated text into unique, undetectable writing while preserving its intent and meaning.

What is Humanize.io

Humanize.io is an advanced tool specifically designed to humanize AI-generated text. It rewrites content to mimic human tone, style, and nuance, effectively eliminating robotic undertones. Its free version offers unlimited credits, making it accessible for students and professionals alike. This tool is particularly effective at bypassing AI detectors like Turnitin, ensuring rewritten text passes originality checks.

How to Use Humanize.io to Bypass Turnitin

Using Humanize.io to humanize AI text is a straightforward process. Follow these steps to humanize your text and bypass Turnitin effectively:

Step 1: Gather Your AI-Generated Content

Start by compiling the AI-generated text you intend to submit. This could include essays, research papers, or any other academic content. Ensure the text is well-structured and relevant to your topic to make the humanization process smoother.

Step 2: Access Humanize.io

Navigate to the Humanize.io website. Its clean interface makes it easy for users of all experience levels to begin humanizing their text. The platform requires no advanced setup, so you can get started right away.

Step 3: Input Your Text

Locate the text input field on the homepage and paste your AI-generated content. Humanize.io supports multiple languages, so you can use the tool for non-English content as well.

Step 4: Choose a Humanization Mode

Humanize.io offers three levels of humanization:

Light: Makes minor adjustments to enhance readability.
Medium: Balances natural tone and originality with more substantial edits.
Heavy: Completely rephrases the text for maximum humanization.

For bypassing Turnitin, the Medium or Heavy modes are recommended, as these ensure significant transformation of the content without altering its meaning.

Step 5: Click “Humanize”

Once your text is pasted and a mode is selected, click the “Humanize” button. In a matter of seconds, Humanize.io will process your input and generate rewritten content that reads naturally and authentically.

Step 6: Review the Rewritten Content

After Humanize.io produces the humanized text, carefully review the output to ensure it meets your expectations. Check for consistency, tone, and any specific academic requirements your submission may have.

Step 7: Verify with an AI Checker

To confirm that your content is undetectable as AI-generated, use Turnitin’s preview function or an AI checker integrated into Humanize.io. This step ensures your rewritten text will pass originality checks.

Step 8: Submit with Confidence

Once you’re satisfied with the final output, you can confidently submit your document, knowing it’s well-prepared to bypass Turnitin.

Best Practices for Using Humanize.io

While Humanize.io simplifies the process of humanizing AI-generated text, adhering to these best practices will maximize its effectiveness:

1. Start with High-Quality Input

The better the quality of your original AI-generated text, the more polished the humanized output will be. Ensure your content is relevant, accurate, and free from major grammatical errors before using Humanize.io.

2. Choose the Appropriate Mode

Select the humanization mode that best suits your content’s needs. For academic work, “Medium” mode often strikes the right balance between natural tone and originality, while “Heavy” mode is ideal for highly formal or technical documents.

3. Refine the Output

While Humanize.io produces highly readable and original text, reviewing and fine-tuning the output can help align it with your unique voice or specific academic guidelines.

4. Use the Built-In AI Checker

Leverage Humanize.io’s integrated AI checker to validate your content’s authenticity. This ensures your rewritten text is ready to bypass Turnitin without triggering plagiarism alerts.

Advantages of Using Humanize.io for Turnitin

1. Cost-Free Solution

Humanize.io’s free version offers unlimited credits, making it an ideal choice for students and professionals seeking a cost-effective way to humanize their content.

2. Ease of Use

The platform’s intuitive design ensures a seamless user experience, even for those unfamiliar with similar tools.

3. High Success Rates

Humanize.io effectively rewrites text to bypass Turnitin and other AI detectors, delivering a remarkable success rate in avoiding detection.

4. Multilingual Support

With support for over 50 languages, Humanize.io accommodates users from diverse linguistic backgrounds, ensuring high-quality humanized text in any language.

5. Time Efficiency

The tool processes text quickly, allowing users to transform and verify their content in minutes.

Use Cases for Humanize.io with Turnitin

Humanize.io’s effectiveness in bypassing Turnitin makes it suitable for various scenarios, including:

1. Academic Submissions

Students can use Humanize.io to ensure their essays, research papers, and assignments pass Turnitin’s originality checks without being flagged.

2. Theses and Dissertations

Graduate students can humanize AI-generated drafts of their theses or dissertations, ensuring compliance with academic standards.

3. Research Publications

Researchers can refine AI-written articles for submission to journals, maintaining originality while improving readability.

Conclusion

Bypassing Turnitin’s detection algorithms doesn’t have to be a complex or costly process. With Humanize.io, users can effortlessly transform AI-generated content into polished, human-like writing that meets academic standards and passes originality checks. Following the steps and best practices outlined in this guide ensures your content remains authentic, professional, and undetectable.

For students, researchers, and professionals looking to humanize AI text and bypass Turnitin effectively, Humanize.io offers a reliable and free solution that simplifies the process without compromising quality.

Read more:
How to Use Humanize.io to Bypass Turnitin Effectively for Free

Establishing an enterprise in France is a profitable enterprise. The United States boasts a thriving economic system, strategic access to the European marketplace, and a skilled body of workers.

However, foreign marketers face their challenges inside the landscape of French industrial corporations, more so in regard to coping with human assets.

French exertions, legal guidelines, tax policies, and cultural nuances are too complex to take gently. Missteps in HR management can result in compliance troubles, worker dissatisfaction, and a bad impact on industrial company increase. For companies and marketers striving for achievement, effective HR control becomes extra than a need—it’s an important thing in ensuring lengthy-time period stability and boom.

Challenges of HR Management in France

France owns the most comprehensive worker-centric exertion regulation system in the world. Although it is most beneficial for the employees, some business challenges remain specific to France:

Complex Labor Laws: Right from drafting contracts to handling employee blessings and terminations, French labor laws are pretty complex and demand professional knowledge.

Social Security Contributions: The employers in France are liable for huge contributions to social protection, which differ depending on the nature of employment.

Cultural Adaptations: Understanding and respect for the culture of the place of work in France is necessary in developing a harmonious and effective team.

Foreign marketers would, therefore, face a hard time trying to tackle these issues alone. The search for expert HR help now becomes critical at this point.

The role of human resource consultancy

Human resource consultancy services are done for the purpose of aiding organizations to optimize and streamline their HR functions. Whether you are on the verge of your initial employee hire in France or have a growing body of workers, taking the services from an HR consultancy helps you keep track of time, avoid dangers, and know exactly where you stand in the middle business game.

How HR Consultancies Add Value

Compliance with French Laws

HR consultancy corporations ensure that your commercial enterprise adheres to French labor legal guidelines and employment guidelines. This consists of contract drafting, payroll management, and legal dispute decision.

Tailored Solutions

Every commercial enterprise is particular, and HR consultancies offer custom designed offerings to shape your specific wishes. Whether you’re seeking to recruit top expertise, set up employee regulations, or manipulate payroll structures, consultancies offer flexible answers.

Efficient Recruitment

Recruiting the proper talent in a foreign country may be tough. HR corporations deliver in-intensity information of neighborhood task markets, allowing you to draw professional experts who align together with your enterprise desires.

Cost-Effective HR Management

Instead of maintaining a full-time HR crew, marketers can rely upon consultancies to handle HR operations. This is mainly wonderful for small to medium-sized organizations working on lean budgets.

Why Choose Boost’RH?

Foreign marketers looking for dependable HR guides in France must not forget Boost’RH, an ideal human useful resource consultancy. With years of experience and high knowledge of labor laws in French, Boost’RH specializes in offering individually tailored HR consulting services to groups regardless of size.

Whether you are already installed in France or planning to set up operations, Boost’RH will help you through every step of the way. Their services ensure easy integration into the French commercial enterprise atmosphere so you could focus on growth while leaving HR complexities to the professionals.

The Role of HR in Business Success

Human resource management is not only the principle of complying with rules but also involves enabling a quality work environment, driving worker engagement, and making a business sustainable. In a country like France, with its strong market competition, personnel price, place of work, lifestyle and benefits, robust HR practices can become a differentiator.

From recruitment to retention, every thing of HR contributes to the achievement of your business. For remote marketers, collaborating with HR experts isn’t just a preferred tactic – it’s an investment in the fate of your business.

The End

Expanding or starting a business in France is also an exciting process but also requires professional support in important areas such as human resource management. Working with a trusted company like Boost’RH can help entrepreneurs navigate complex employment regulations in France, attract top talent, and therefore create a successful work environment.

If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, remember to explore the benefits of a professional human resources consultant today. Let the experts at Boost’RH empower your business travel in France.

Read more:
Why Human Resource Management Is Crucial for Foreign Entrepreneurs in France

For UK businesses, international debt collection is a labyrinth to navigate. Recovering outstanding payments is typically clouded in factors such as cultural nuances, legal discrepancies and linguistic barriers.

When faced with such a situation engaging with professional services like Federal Management can streamline operations and offer expert advice.

Challenges Businesses May Find, and How to Overcome Them

Language Barriers: Often, when conducting business across borders, the client or company you’re negotiating with speaks a different language. These interactions can be miscommunicated, which can slow or stop collection efforts. Using multilingual staff or outsourcing professional translation services guarantees communication is clear and accurate.
Legal Barriers: When businesses are pursuing international debts, it is difficult because each country has their own legal framework. Such diversity of legal requirements may lead to time consuming and costly processes. Working with local legal professionals or agencies with experience of specific jurisdictions will enable UK businesses to tackle legal complexities. These partnerships ensure compliance as well as make the debt recovery process a breeze.
Cultural Barriers: Business negotiations are heavily influenced by cultural norms, and how clients react to debt collection efforts is also affected by this. An approach that succeeds in one region may fail in another. If employees are trained in different cultural norms and are able to respect them, payments may be collected easier.

Time Zone Discrepancies

Businesses have to operate across multiple time zones which makes global business a logistical challenge. Depending on the hours in which people work it can be difficult to coordinate communication and resolve issues. In this case, businesses can try flexible working hours or businesses can outsource debt collection activities to an agency with international coverage. It guarantees this way of communication is timely and uninterrupted because of the clients.

Currency Exchange Risks

Financial agreements and payments can be made more difficult by fluctuating exchange rates. There are unexpected costs or the discrepancy in the amount owed. Through contracts on stable currencies, or hedging strategies, one can hedge against volatility exchange rate fluctuations. Additional support can be provided through financial advisors specializing in international trade.

Lack of Local Knowledge

Your debt recovery is only successful if you understand local regulations, market dynamics, and consumer behavior. But UK businesses might not have the information they need about foreign markets. Regional representatives can be hired or international debt collection agencies can be worked with to ensure you can access the local knowledge. This supports improved recovery and is aligned to regional specifics.

Ensuring Professionalism in International Debt Collection

It’s important to remain professional at all times. Wrong tactics can result in a ruined reputation and capacity to regain it, and sometimes critical tools might be damaged beyond repair. To be on the safe side, you should hire reputable agencies to handel the debt collection process. Their expertise in handling cross border cases reduces risk and increases recovery rates.

Final Remarks

In order to be successful in international debt collection, complex strategies are needed to overcome different laws, cultural differences, and other problems.

Read more:
Top Challenges in International Debt Collection and How UK Businesses Can Overcome Them

Romania’s High Court of Cassation and Justice, equivalent to the UK’s Supreme Court, fully acquitted  Gabriel ‘Puiu’ Popoviciu in a ruling on 15 January 2025.

This ruling is final and irrevocable and it maintains the Bucharest Court of Appeal resolution from July 2024, through which all the defendants were acquitted in the case surrounding the Băneasa shopping, office and residential development.

In her July 2024 ruling, Judge Liana Arsenie, the head of the Court of Appeal,  had exonerated Popoviciu, along with the other ten defendants in the case. In the judgment she handed down, she was critical of  prosecutor Nicolae Marin (of Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Directorate, known as the DNA) and his conduct in the case. Her ruling, all of which was reconfirmed this week in the High Court of Cassation and Justice, was that she was ordering the acquittal of all 11 defendants on the grounds that that the alleged offences do not exist. As Judge Arsenie explained at the time, “The investigating authority assigned fictitious roles and functions and imagined authority relationships. The prosecution was built on a scenario imagined by the prosecutor.” She highlighted “truncated interpretations, the breaking of logical-legal algorithms and the attribution of criminal connotation to the exercise of civil rights and obligations.”

Popoviciu and his ten fellow defendants had been accused by Nicolae Marin of abuse of office, bribery and favouring the offender in connection with SC Băneasa Investments SA’s project on a 224-hectare plot of land where the largest shopping, office and residential complex in Romania was built. The July 2024 verdict from Bucharest’s Court of Appeal found that these allegations, involving an alleged gift of a bottle of whiskey and a PET bottle of homemade plum brandy, plus the offer of a position for the witness Motoc Ion, who later confirmed he never received such an offer, were completely fabricated by prosecutor Nicolae Marin. The July 2024 acquittal judgement came as a result of the review and retrial of the case and firmly concluded that the defendants were convicted abusively. The January 2025 decision by Romania’s Supreme Court, upholding the full acquittal of the defendants, was the very final step in the legal process. There can be no doubt that, after an 18-year long legal ordeal, Popoviciu and his fellow defendants have won a resounding victory in their case.

The legal battle had not been limited to Romania. In July 2023, the UK’s Supreme Court discharged Romania’s extradition request for him. That was the UK court’s final decision on the matter and meant that Popoviciu would not be extradited to Romania. That final UK outcome followed the 11 June 2021 decision by London’s High Court to refuse Popoviciu’s extradition to Romania. In that ruling, British judge Lord Justice Holroyde stated: “The evidence shows a real risk that the appellant suffered an extreme example of a lack of judicial impartiality, such that there can be no question as to consequences for the fairness of the trial.” Edward Fitzgerald KC said that Popoviciu would suffer a “flagrant denial of justice” if sent back to serve his sentence in Romania.

The director of a Brussels-based human rights group commented: “This was a robust decision, building on and confirming the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s ruling last July, as well as earlier decisions in the UK courts in Mr Popoviciu’s favour. However, for those of us focused on human rights within the European Union, there is concern that Mr Popoviciu suffered such an injustice and indeed what several courts have now ruled was persecution at the hands of a prosecutor. Such abuse of the legal system does not belong in an EU country, one that is now even a member of the Schengen area.”

Read more:
Romania’s High Court of Cassation and Justice definitively exonerates Gabriel Popoviciu

Let me start by saying that I, like every self-respecting political junkie, have watched and adored The West Wing — all seven seasons, multiple times.

So before you roll your eyes and think here we go again, another musings-on-Sorkin piece, let me declare it plainly: the show remains as close as modern television gets to pure, unadulterated political catnip

It’s become a universal language, so much so that every English-speaking politician from Tony Blair and David Cameron to Canada’s Justin Trudeau has insisted, at some point, on comparing themselves to President Josiah Bartlet and his merry band of idealistic staffers.

The starry-eyed, walk-and-talk-laden world that Aaron Sorkin conjured up has seduced even the loftiest of policy heavies. Tony Blair’s love for it was famously well-documented: apparently No.10 once invited John Spencer – the late, great Leo McGarry – to break bread with Blair’s real-life chief of staff, Aaron Sorkin. One wonders if they also tried to rope in Martin Sheen to give them one of those soaring, paternal pep talks that always ended with him sauntering down the corridor while rousing orchestral chords hammered home the point.

And let’s not forget Bill Clinton’s adviser, Gene Spurling, who was not only a leading policy mind but served as an expert adviser on the show. Blair’s office invited him to dinner too, bridging that gap between fiction and reality so seamlessly that one might have expected C.J. Cregg to walk in and brief them on the daily crisis. The West Wing was the political soap du jour. It gave politicos the same rush a teenage pop fan might get from meeting the entire lineup of their favourite band backstage. For a certain generation, it was cultural currency — and, crucially, it made politics look downright cool, something that was in desperately short supply.

Fast-forward to 2017 (or indeed 2025, if we’re looking back and counting the years of regret). Enter Donald Trump as President. The question arises: how far removed is he from the luminous Sorkin universe? Trump is the antithesis of Bartlet, right? The brash spectacle, the Twitter rants, the preference for punchy, provocative soundbites over nuanced, reasoned debate — all of it seems anathema to the measured, idealistic, legislative artistry that Sorkin’s scripts so worshipfully championed. President Bartlet was a Notre Dame economics professor with a Nobel Prize, a man who’d pour over reams of data before making the slightest peep. Trump? Definitely not scribbling cross-charts of comparative advantage in the Oval Office.

And yet, watch carefully, and you’ll find moments of The West Wing in Trump’s presidency, whether we like it or not. The genius of Sorkin’s masterpiece lay in its ability to turn the daily drudgery of politics into compelling drama — the big set-piece speeches, the grand pronouncements, the staff’s unwavering devotion to their man. Trump’s White House might not do subtle, but it certainly goes big. And it’s that flair for drama, that showmanship, which paradoxically echoes the power The West Wing had over its audience. In a strange way, Trump turned the real West Wing into something more akin to a reality show, with cliffhangers every week and the press corps eternally breathless. We might not like it, but it’s got its own narrative arcs that might make Sorkin, in some bizarre alternate universe, nod in recognition.

Meanwhile, across the pond, we have to wonder if Keir Starmer’s people are busy working out which streaming platform the show is still on in the UK or hitting up eBay for the DVD’s and a Player to play them on for some marathon session ahead of strategy meetings. You can almost imagine a staffer breathlessly proclaiming: “We need to find our ‘Let Bartlet be Bartlet’ moment!” Indeed, according to The Times, the phrase “Let Starmer be Starmer” has just strolled into mainstream commentary. Let’s not forget it was “Let Bartlet be Bartlet” that became a rallying cry in the show — a reminder for our dear President Jed Bartlet to be his own best self. Now we’re hearing it of Starmer, and perhaps that’s the closest one gets to a truly British version of Sorkin’s flair. The noble counsel, the rousing phrase, the vow not to compromise. Sean Kemp quipped on Twitter this morning that this fresh bit of Starmer-lore completes “whatever the fourth goal of a hat trick is called.” Precisely.

But, aside from comedic parallels, one of the most intriguing endorsements of The West Wing came from Justin Trudeau who admitted on The West Wing Weekly podcast that he found the show entirely relatable, right down to the everyday grind of the job and the ephemeral “moments of moral clarity.” He even boasted that he used a 2002 Bartlet debate scene — you know, the one where the President annihilates his opponent’s shallow “10-word” answers — as prep for his own contests. And, fair play to him, it worked. Trudeau pranced into office with youthful swagger and rhetorical vision. Yet, as events have shown, the real political stage can’t be so finely scripted, nor can all the future’s curveballs be condensed into a snappy Sorkin speech.

The allure of that Sorkin speech, though, is something no political obsessive can quite resist. Take a quick spin through the best five minutes of any political programme, the opening scene of Sorkin’s The Newsroom (there’s a conveniently viral clip on YouTube, if you’ve got five minutes). There’s Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, cornered into an uncomfortably direct answer, launching into a blistering monologue about why America isn’t the greatest country in the world. It’s raw, it’s electric, it’s borderline heretical, and it’s how a great many political onlookers secretly long for politicians to speak: with honesty untainted by spin, delivering zingers that’d knock James Carville’s socks off. But in real life, that brand of oratory is as rare as hen’s teeth — especially now that spin itself has become a zero-sum game, the lifeblood of the permanent campaign. The only British politician who does come close is Nigel Farage, which might explain why he is now gaining in polls for his common-people direct style.

So here we are, decades into the mania for Sorkin’s seminal drama, and it remains the shining, unattainable standard for political conduct. It’s still quoted in press briefings, dinner parties, and, yes, Prime Minister’s Questions. The notion that every new prime minister (or indeed president) might be the next Jed Bartlet has proven more ephemeral than the soggy phrase “the new normal.” Yet, ironically, that might be part of The West Wing’s enduring genius: it presented not the real political sphere but the ideal. It’s an allegory for how we wish politics could be — high-minded, passionate, and infused with moral clarity — and not how it usually is, full of cheap jibes and shady negotiations behind closed doors.

So how far from The West Wing is Donald Trump? It’s tempting to say a million miles, that Sorkin’s measured erudition and Trump’s brash staccato simply don’t speak the same language. But I’m not entirely sure. They share a sense of showmanship, albeit on opposite ends of the rhetorical scale. Both delighted their respective audiences; Bartlet with refined moral passion, Trump with punchy populist jabs. If The West Wing taught us anything, it’s that political theatre resonates deeply. We want a big, emotional story, a sense of the moral arc bending the right way (or at least some way). Trump’s new presidency will be show of a very different sort, but a show it will certainly be. And perhaps that’s the real lesson: The West Wing showed how deeply politics and performance intersect. Whether you prefer the quicksilver repartee of Bartlet’s White House or the combative streetfighter style of Trump’s, both are indelibly etched into modern political culture.

In the end, I suspect all these references to The West Wing in politics — from Blair’s dinner guests to Starmer’s rhetorical pep talk, from Trudeau’s binge-watching will keep surfacing for years to come. As long as there are leaders who want to conjure that golden combination of intellect, charm, and unstoppable moral gravitas, Sorkin’s script will remain the Platonic ideal. And we’ll keep measuring real politicians by how far they fall short. Or, in Trump’s case, by how far he soared off in a completely different direction. One thing’s for sure: President Bartlet is still in that mythical corridor, walking and talking, as relevant as ever. And long may he remain so.

Read more:
Bartlet vs. Trump: the surprising West Wing secrets that still shape global politics

‘Russian oligarch’ has become a buzzword for Western audiences in the last two decades, but Alekszej Fedoricsev insists that he is neither an oligarch nor Russian.

Born in the Soviet Union, values-driven and self-made businessman has Hungarian, not Russian, citizenship, and he likes to make clear that his primary business operations have been in Ukraine, not in the Russian Federation.

Fedoricsev has been in the news, and that’s why his identity is important. In July, Italian police froze 41 million euros assets, including the capture of his incredible Tuscan castle. The reasons for what Fedoricsev’s lawyers call a ‘corporate raid’ are very much disputed.

Fedoricsev is a commodity trader. He created the FEDCOM Group in the 1990s and as for today the company became one of market-leaders having expertise in the storage, shipping and distribution of a variety of commodities. Ukraine became a centre of FEDCOM’s operations, with the Black Sea ports, especially in Odessa, at the heart of Ukraine’s vital grain exporting industry. Trans Invest Service (TIS) grain terminals, that belongs to Fedoricsev, is the no. 1 port in Ukraine and no. 2 on the Black Sea in terms of cargo trans-shipment. It was launched in 1994 on the basis of a Soviet-era abandoned berth for the import of mineral fertilizers.

As he continues to make clear, Fedoricsev is a significant investor in Ukraine’s infrastructure, with over 30 years of operation, its own investments in the development of the port and the industry in general exceeding $1 billion. Over the course of its operation, TIS has paid more than $360 million in taxes and fees to the stat; it strenuously denies having paid taxes to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. It creates jobs and provides salaries for about 5,000 people.

In the first part of the last decade, Ukraine agreed numerous deals for exporting grain with China. In return for $3 billion in credit lines, China asked for around 3 million tones of grain a year. Fears of international food shortages made this grain especially important. But these huge deals also had complex political consequences.

Ukrainian anti–corruption agencies have a troubled history, and continue to be beset by problems. The National Anti–Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) was set up with American support to drive reform, especially in the light of heightened Russian aggression against Ukraine. The country’s failure adequately to deal with endemic corruption and money–laundering continue to dent its chances of integration into central European institutions.

In April 2017, FEDCOM executives were in Kyiv for a conference on the Black Sea grain industry. During a public presentation, the Vice President was escorted out of the building by NABU officials, and questioned, allegedly for twelve hours. For Fedoricsev and his firm, the cause was simple: opponents together with political figures had decided to create a campaign of persecution in order to seize his assets on the basis of false corruption allegations. With the state of the grain industry increasingly problematized by Russian aggression, opponents dishonest opponents wanted to take control of Fedoricsev’s infrastructure. More particularly, Ukraine was struggling to meet the terms of the $3 billion deal with China, and it wanted to remove the fees incurred by private companies like FEDCOM. Charging the owner of that company with corruption — a term thrown around a lot in Ukraine — was the best way to go about that.

Taken off the sanctions list by President Zelensky in 2020, Fedoricsev was placed back in the spotlight by the seizure of his assets in 2024 — although it is claimed that there have been sixty attempts on his assets since 2014. The Italian judiciary were responsible for seizing the 41 million euros assets last year at the best of NABU, which is a cause of outrage to Arnaud Zabaldano, the lawyer whose eponymous litigation firm, based in Monaco, is representing Fedoricsev. He is apparently known as the ‘smartest, toughest and quickest litigator in the Principality’. They deny the claims made by NABU that Fedoricsev used different companies to hide the wealth he made through TIS and was therefore denied to the Ukrainian government.

Monaco is Fedoricsev’s established home. He has made his name in the region for his ownership of the successful basketball team AS Monaco Basket. Apart it 2025 will become millstone as it’ll be 30th consecutive year when FEDCOM is sponsoring AS Monaco soccer club.

For Zabaldano and his client, the persecution of Fedoricsev is representative of a wider problem. The Zelensky government has continued to lay claims against numerous wealthy businessmen who have moved away from the country, and accused them of cooperating with or benefiting the Russian government. In the eyes of the lawyers in Monte Carlo, this is draining talent away from Ukraine, and such politically motivated attacks cover up — rather than address — the deep–seated corruption in the country. As one observer said to the Guardian newspaper in Britain, ‘This is a tragedy in which there will be no winners’, because the government has insisted on targeting corporate governance breaches, rather than the most pressing corruption cases.

Fedoricsev remains in Monaco, with his successful teams, and the truth of the case will not likely be made clear in the near future. Since the case against Boris Berezhovsky in the British Commercial Court, many businessmen under attack from Eastern European governments do not see the London courts as the bastion of justice they once were. It is certainly clear that the Ukrainian government, and their international bakers, need to ensure transparency on the reasons for their international prosecutions — and persuade more people that they are on a secure route to creating a more functional political system. Enforcing legitimate means of justice — with Fedoricsev and many businessmen like him — looks increasingly difficult as the illegal Russian war in Ukraine continues.

Written by Patrick Maxwell

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Alekszej Fedoricsev and the Continued Drama of Ukrainian Corruption

CSGO or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skins continue to remain hugely popular, especially with the change to CS2 or Counter-Strike 2.

No matter whether you are a trader who wants to streamline his inventory or a casual player, you must be aware of the finest platforms where you can sell your CSGO items.

Characteristics of the best sites for selling CSGO items

If you are on the lookout for the best sites where you can sell your CSGO items, then you must look for the following features:

The site should provide high rates but low fees

The best sites, like skinomat.com, always offer the most competitive rates that are prevalent in the industry. This means you will earn more money by selling your skins than other platforms. These platforms minimize fees and maximize payouts to ensure that everyone has been getting the maximum value from their inventory.

Fast payouts

Another important feature of a reliable site is it gives importance to efficiency. Hence, people get their money quickly. As people get fast payouts from their transactions, they can have the necessary funds in moments.

Secure and Trusted

If you manage to find a reliable site, you will find it to be using only progressive security measures. Additionally, it will have a stellar reputation too. These sites do everything from their end to protect people’s transactions and accounts. Countless people trust these sites because they are reliable.

User-friendly interface

To choose a site, you must observe its intuitive design. This design makes it convenient for both seasoned traders and newcomers to sell skins. These sites make people’s jobs easier by guiding them all through the process.

Several options for payment

You will never find a reliable site that offers people only one method of payment. Every dependable and trustworthy website supports various methods of payment, including cryptocurrency, direct bank transfers, and PayPal. As users get this kind of flexibility, they are assured that they have been receiving the funds the way they want them to be.

The best websites intend to form an independent platform. They make it easier for people to sell their items even when they don’t spend a lot of effort and time. They believe that every person should be capable of monetizing their equipment. Players rely on these sites because they can get money instantly.

The ideal way to proceed

If you are like countless others who wish to sell their items on a reliable site, you need to log in to your account. After this, you must put the Trade URL. See that both your profile and inventory are public. Additionally, Steam Guard should enable your account. In the next step, you should choose the inventory items that you wish to monetize. You will find the platform to be presenting you with lots of selling offers, and they are calculated according to the data that is being accumulated from other similar websites. Now, if you come across something interesting, you must accept it. Additionally, you have to select your chosen method of payout. When you put all the required information, you will be capable of collecting your due money, keeping botheration at bay.

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Selling CSGO Items- How Easy Is That?

Britain has recorded its highest number of company closures for two decades, with the final quarter of 2024 seeing 198,046 businesses struck off the official register.

The figure, revealed by research firm Beauhurst, surpasses levels last reached in 2021 and in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

Henry Whorwood, managing director of research and consultancy at Beauhurst, said the increase in business dissolutions is largely a consequence of last year’s budget measures, combined with a difficult financing climate. “We really need to make sure this doesn’t get worse,” he added.

Separately, data from Zempler Bank, a small-business lender, points to an 8 per cent drop in new company formations throughout 2024, taking the total to 807,000. Rich Wagner, chief executive of Zempler, suggested the higher costs and stricter policing of new incorporations could be deterring many would-be entrepreneurs. Last year Companies House was granted new powers and raised incorporation fees from £12 to £50, which coincided with a year-on-year dip of almost 20 per cent in registrations between May and December.

Wagner said it remains to be seen if these changes will mean fewer, but more resilient, businesses in the long run:

“It will be interesting to see whether the changes at Companies House, which may have the effect of weeding out those who aren’t serious about starting a company, result in a higher proportion of businesses surviving, even in challenging economic conditions.”

Despite nearly 900,000 new companies being registered in 2023, a portion of those were shell entities created for future use, and more than 40,000 were subsidiaries of existing companies. Online retail saw the highest number of formations during that period (82,000), followed by property-letting firms (49,000).

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UK sees record wave of business closures amid tough environment