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Political blame game begins and passengers left adrift after Spirit ceases operations

2 May 2026 at 19:53

Republicans blame Biden administration block on JetBlue deal; Democrats point to fuel price surge amid Iran war

US airlines and government officials battled on Saturday to deal with stranded passengers and stricken employees after discount carrier Spirit Airlines abruptly ceased operations – and a political and business blame game got under way over the collapse of the low-cost carrier.

“If you have a flight scheduled with Spirit Airlines, don’t show up at the airport; there will be no one here to assist you,” the US secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, warned at a press conference after laying out measures for customers booked with the Florida-based company to obtain refunds or find discounted flights on other airlines.

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© Photograph: Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images

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Lily Brayton in Kismet

2 May 2026 at 19:29

Truus, Bob & Jan too! posted a photo:

Lily Brayton in Kismet

Vintage British postcard. Rotary Photo, E.C., 117512 M. Photo by Foulsham and Banfield, London. Lily Brayton as Marsinah in the play Kismet.

Kismet was a three-act play written in 1911 by Edward Knoblauch/ Knoblock. It was produced by Oscar Asche and first staged at the Garrick Theatre, London, on 19 April 1911. Asche rewrote the play and starred himself as the beggar Haji, who poses as a prince. He drowns the evil Wazir of Police, catches the eye of the Wazir's voluptuous wife, serves as Emir of Baghdad, and sees his daughter wed to the handsome Caliph, who has posed as a gardener. Next to Asche, Lily Brayton starred as his daughter Marsinah. The play was a gigantic success.

After a successful tour with Kismet in Australia in 1911–12, Asche, upon his return to London, revived Kismet. Asche and Brayton also appeared in a 1914 film adaptation. Afterward, more film adaptations followed in 1920, 1930 and 1944. Asche repeated his role as Haji in the 1930 and 1944 film versions. In 1953, the story was adapted into the musical by Robert Wright and George Forrest, which in turn was adapted into a 1955 film.

Sources: English Wikipedia, IMDb.

Elizabeth "Lily" Brayton (23 June 1876 – 30 April 1953) was an English actress and singer, known for her performances in Shakespeare plays and for her nearly 2,000 performances in the First World War hit musical 'Chu Chin Chow'. From the 1900s, Lily Brayton was the wife and regular co-actor of British actor Oscar Asche. In 1914 she acted opposite Asche in her only film, Kismet, directed by Leedham Bantock.

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State Department approves over $8B in arms sales to Gulf nations

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As Mali’s military struggles to maintain control amid a growing jihadist insurgency, a number of its own soldiers have been arrested, accused of collaborating with Al-Qaeda-linked militants in coordinating widespread attacks. Islamist group JNIM, alongside separatist rebels, has reportedly seized two northern cities, killed the defence minister, and is now attempting to impose a blockade on the capital, Bamako. We take a closer look at what’s happening on the ground, the escalating security crisis, and the role of Russian mercenaries in supporting the government. France 24’s Gavin Lee is joined by Beverley Ochieng, a specialist in West Africa and political risk analyst at Control Risks, to discuss.

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