The US House of Representatives has navigated itself into uncharted territory after it voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker, the first such move in the chamber's history.
Eight Republicans joined all present Democrats in a 216-210 vote to oust Mr McCarthy, ending the California politician's nine-month stint on the job.
Mr McCarthy, resigned that he would not have the support needed, said he would not run for the position again.
“My goals have not changed. My ability to fight is just in a different form,” he said.
Tuesday's stunning vote and Mr McCarthy's decision now creates a power vacuum in a divided Republican chamber that must decide on a new speaker.
What happens next?
The House on Wednesday began a week-long break as Republicans scrambled to find a leader after the shock vote. It is still unclear who Mr McCarthy's successor will be as leader of the House Republicans.
Patrick McHenry, a McCarthy ally, is serving as the acting speaker, and after a visibly frustrated gavel slam on Tuesday he declared the break until both parties can decide on a path forward.
The vacancy has left the House of Representatives at a standstill until a new speaker is elected. Mr McHenry has limited authority as acting speaker and is unable to bring forward legislation until a permanent leader is elected. He also does not have the power to issue subpoenas or sign off on any other official House business.
Matt Gaetz, the far-right congressman who brought the motion to oust Mr McCarthy, is among the growing number of Republicans who have hinted at support for candidates such as Majority Leader Steve Scalise or Whip Tom Emmer.
Representative Jim Jordan, a darling of the right-wing and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee leading President Joe Biden's impeachment inquiry, announced on Wednesday that he would be running for speaker.
Mr Scalise also announced that he is running for the speaker's gavel.
Under House rules, the speaker does not have to be a member of Congress, and some in Washington are suggesting a wild card could be played – for former president and Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump.
Fox News' Sean Hannity on Tuesday night reported that “some House Republicans have been in contact with and have started an effort to draft former president Donald Trump to be the next speaker and I have been told that Trump might be open to helping the Republican Party at least in the short term, if necessary”.
Mr Jordan even appeared to be open to the idea when asked about the prospect.
“He'd be great … I want him to be president … but if he wants to be speaker, that's fine too,” Mr Jordan told Fox News.
However, current House Republican Conference rules bar anyone indicted on felony charges that have punishments of more than two years in prison. Mr Trump is facing four felony indictments.
The conference could change the rules to allow a such nomination, but even then, it is not clear if Mr Trump would receive enough support.
Mr Biden said that whoever takes up the gavel should work to remove the “poisonous atmosphere” plaguing US politics.
“We have strong disagreements but we need to stop seeing each other as enemies,” he said in remarks from the White House.
Meanwhile, the Senate is still operating this week, with regularly scheduled hearings and business moving forward.
A government shutdown looms – again
Whoever is selected as the next House speaker will have to tackle a challenge that doomed Mr McCarthy's tenure: keeping the government open.
The US federal government is due to shut down on November 17 unless another bill is passed to fund it. But with House members out of town for the rest of the week and speaker elections not expected until next Wednesday, the timetable is further constrained to keep the government open.
“We cannot and should not again be faced with an 11th-hour decision of brinkmanship that threatens to shut down the government,” Mr Biden said.
“And we know what we have to do, and we have to get it done in a timely fashion.”
If the government does shut down, thousands of federal workers will go unpaid, federal agencies will be reduced to minimal staffing and processing visa and passport applications will be snarled. The US credit rating could also take a hit, Moody's has warned.
And many of the issues that dominated the last shutdown deal remain unresolved, including funding for Ukraine and deciding on spending levels for a number of agencies.
But the political calculus has changed little since last weekend, with a fractional group of Republicans threatening to torpedo any deal it does not like.
With such small margins, the next House speaker will suffer similar headaches as his or her predecessor.
Will the US continue to fund Ukraine?
Also under threat by the new House speaker vote is financial assistance to Ukraine.
The White House had sought as much as $24 billion in Ukraine funding in the latest round of government shutdown negotiations, but Congress kicked the can down the road on the issue as they stared down the remaining hours to keep the government open.
And the issue of funding Ukraine will be more complicated should Mr Scalise or Mr Jordan assume power.
“The most pressing issue on Americans’ minds is not Ukraine,” Mr Jordan told reporters. “It is the border situation and crime on the streets.”
Mr Scalise voted for a $300 million Ukraine funding bill last week, although whether he would support continuing to fund Kyiv as speaker remains unclear.
Mr Biden said he was concerned Republican turmoil could hurt Ukraine aid, calling it “critically important for the US and our allies that we keep our commitment”.
Gregory Meeks, a ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reaffirmed Democrats' position to continue supporting Ukraine.
He added the US should “make sure that Ukraine has everything it needs so that it will win this war”.
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
