All posts tagged: controls

Who really controls Greg Abbott?

Who really controls Greg Abbott?

Published by Sam Flores

Greg Abbott is worried. After three terms as Texas governor, the Republican had every reason to believe the office was his as long as he wanted it. But Abbott is now seeing his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, get uncomfortably close to him in the polls. Suddenly, the governor has to be mindful of negative press, something he’s lost practice at in the decade-plus he’s been in office. Abbott avoided a recent campaign stop from Donald Trump, lest he be seen in the vicinity of the unpopular president or Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who appears to be facing an uphill battle in his own Senate race against state Rep. James Talarico. The governor is so concerned about his re-election prospects that he recently reversed his position on data centers, which have grown increasingly unpopular, and is now calling for moratoriums and restrictions on their construction. But one issue Abbott hasn’t budged on is his all-out war on public education. Schools in Texas are wildly underfunded, with hundreds having to reduce students to …

Before You Hire a Self-Publishing Company: 10 Controls

Before You Hire a Self-Publishing Company: 10 Controls

Published by Jenni Sidey

On 13 August 2026, The Bookseller reported that the Self-Publishing Partnership, a UK business that handled distribution and royalty payments for independent authors through the wholesaler Gardners, had collapsed. Authors who had hired the self-publishing company were left waiting on money their books had already earned. The Society of Authors began assisting those affected. What follows is not an argument against paid help. It is an argument about structure. Before you hire a self-publishing company, there are ten things you should keep in your own hands, and the collapse of one intermediary is a good reason to check all ten today. A point of fairness first: a business failing is not by itself evidence of wrongdoing. Companies fold for ordinary reasons. The reporting so far does not establish the total sum outstanding or the full legal picture, and it would be wrong to assume misconduct. But the consequence for authors is the same either way. When a single company holds the distribution relationships, receives the sales income, keeps the production files and then passes money …

Before You Hire a Self-Publishing Company: 10 Controls

Before You Hire a Self-Publishing Company: 10 Controls

Published by Jenni Sidey

On 13 August 2026, The Bookseller reported that the Self-Publishing Partnership, a UK business that handled distribution and royalty payments for independent authors through the wholesaler Gardners, had collapsed. Authors who had hired the self-publishing company were left waiting on money their books had already earned. The Society of Authors began assisting those affected. What follows is not an argument against paid help. It is an argument about structure. Before you hire a self-publishing company, there are ten things you should keep in your own hands, and the collapse of one intermediary is a good reason to check all ten today. A point of fairness first: a business failing is not by itself evidence of wrongdoing. Companies fold for ordinary reasons. The reporting so far does not establish the total sum outstanding or the full legal picture, and it would be wrong to assume misconduct. But the consequence for authors is the same either way. When a single company holds the distribution relationships, receives the sales income, keeps the production files and then passes money …

Power without a throne: how Khalifa Haftar controls Libya

Power without a throne: how Khalifa Haftar controls Libya

Published by Sam Flores

In July 2025, four of Europe’s most senior officials landed in eastern Libya for an urgent meeting. Italy’s interior minister had watched migrant arrivals surge during the previous six months. Greece’s migration chief was reeling after 2,000 people reached Crete in a single week. Malta’s home minister feared his island was next. And the EU’s migration commissioner was scrambling to rescue an agreement worth many hundreds of millions that was visibly failing to stop the boats. Libya is a place where crises converge. Its 1,100-mile coastline, the longest Mediterranean coastline in Africa, has become the main departure point for migrants heading north. Since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011, the country has been torn apart by successive civil wars. Russia, Turkey, Egypt and the UAE arm rival factions, and the contest no longer stops at Libya’s borders. From military bases in the south, Russia and the UAE funnel weapons and fighters into Sudan’s civil war, which has driven hundreds of thousands more refugees north towards Libya’s coast. Whoever controls Libya holds leverage over Europe. Yet …

EU strengthens import controls on food safety

EU strengthens import controls on food safety

Published by Miika Tikkanen

The European Commission has established a taskforce to reinforce the Union’s ability to ensure imports meet food safety standards. In particular, it will focus on feed and food safety, pesticide residues, and coordinated EU monitoring actions for specific imported products. The taskforce brings together expertise from the Commission and Member States, and will contribute to: Further harmonising of import controls across the EU Developing recommendations for joint actions between the Commission and Member States Identifying where additional administrative or regulatory measures are needed to strengthen controls Strengthening EU food safety policy The EU has robust food and feed safety legislation that ensures imported food and feed are safe for its citizens. National authorities are responsible for conducting checks on imports from third countries to assess compliance with EU food and feed safety rules. The Commission conducts audits of third countries to assess their systems and reliability, while also working closely with the veterinary and customs authorities in the Member States. Supporting ‘farm-to-fork’ legislation In the EU, feed and food safety is governed by a “farm-to-fork” …