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The Potemkin lobby shaping the EU’s agricultural policy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s biggest farming lobby claims to represent all the bloc’s agricultural workers, but Stela Zămoiu doesn’t believe it speaks for farmers like her.Zămoiu, 61, remembers when the land around her was full of smallholders. Today, her three hectares in eastern Romania are surrounded by large, industrial farms. When she dies, she expects her property to be swallowed up by one of her neighbors.“The village has grown old,” she says. “After the elders die, the land goes to the children, and they sell it … I don’t know if there will be land that won’t be taken by big farmers.”She could use help, she says — from the Romanian government or the EU — but doesn’t see it coming. “Politicians take into account only what they hear from big farmers,” she says. “They represent themselves. Not us.”Some 2,000 kilometers away in Brussels, Pekka Pesonen, the head of the Copa-Cogeca farming lobby, doesn’t disagree. European agriculture needs to become profitable, the...

Don’t piss off China! EU prepares to tone down its battle with Beijing 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

For European leaders gathering in Brussels on Thursday, the question of how to handle the long-term rivalry with the economic powerhouse of China looks like one problem they’d rather put on hold. EU governments still are trying to work out how far to go in severing sensitive business ties with Beijing in order to avoid repeating the bloc’s disastrous dependency on Russia — after their reliance on Moscow for energy supplies was critically exposed by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. But despite Beijing’s economic bullying and equivocation over the Ukraine war, some of Europe’s biggest powers now want to turn down the heat on China. An Eastern European official observed that in the days leading up to Thursday’s summit, some Western European governments tried to water down even further an “already boring” draft statement — just to make sure they “wouldn’t piss off China.”For Europe’s politicians, the question of how to handle Beijing is an awkward one. They are...

French police, protesters clash after Macron calls police fatal shooting of teen ‘inexcusable’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

By OLEG CETINIC and ANGELA CHARLTON (Associated Press)NANTERRE, France (AP) — Police clashed with protesters overnight just hours after French President Emmanuel Macron called the shooting death of a 17-year-old delivery driver by police “inexcusable” and pleaded for calm while justice takes its course. It was the second night of violence in the Paris suburb of Nanterre even as the government heightened the police presence in Paris and other big cities Wednesday after the killing triggered a night of scattered violence. Fires could be seen burning at some intersections in the suburb and protesters shot fireworks at police, video from the suburb showed.The death of 17-year-old Nael during a traffic check Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre elicited nationwide concern and widespread messages of indignation and condolences. French soccer star Kylian Mbappe tweeted: “I hurt for my France.” Nael’s surname has not been released by authorities or by ...

Despite rally capped by Adam Frazier’s homer, Orioles fall to Reds, 11-7, in 10 innings for series loss

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

The Orioles twice came back from three-run deficits to send Wednesday night’s game to extra innings, but they ran out of gas in the 10th.After Adam Frazier’s two-run home run in the eighth tied the score, reliever Keegan Akin imploded two innings later, allowing four runs as Baltimore fell, 11-7, to the Cincinnati Reds at Camden Yards.Three of the first four batters Akin faced in the 10th recorded extra-base hits, as the left-hander continued his recent struggles. Will Benson tripled home the unearned automatic runner, TJ Friedl blasted a two-run homer, and Luke Maile roped a double and later scored on a wild pitch.Orioles starter Kyle Gibson was tagged for three runs in each of the first two innings for his second straight rough start. The offense backed him up, though, batting around in the bottom half of the first to take a brief 4-3 lead.The Reds led by three runs again in the eighth, but a two-out rally sparked by Aaron Hicks’ single and Jordan Westburg’...

Defense dooms Red Sox again in 6-2 loss to Marlins

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

Night after night it’s the same story.The Red Sox play a close game and give themselves a chance to win, only to shoot themselves in the foot with poor defense, questionable decision making and erratic situational hitting.That’s how its gone throughout the season, so its fitting the Red Sox ran back the same script again to officially put a bow on the first half.Ill-timed defensive miscues sunk the Red Sox again in Wednesday night’s 6-2 loss to the Miami Marlins, who capitalized on a series of mistakes to score three runs in the top of the sixth. The loss dropped Boston to 40-41 at the season’s halfway point, and the Red Sox have now lost six of their last seven.The trouble started after Nick Pivetta, who had been dominant since coming on in the third inning as a bulk reliever, walked a pair to put two men on with one out in the sixth. His outing was then abruptly cut short by a rainstorm, but the walks proved costly after the game resumed following a 73-minu...

Indonesia’s Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha with feasts after disease last year disrupted rituals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Muslims across Indonesia on Thursday were celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of the biggest holidays in the Islamic calendar, with full meat-based feasts after fears of last year’s foot-and-mouth disease outbreak waned.Eid al-Adha, known as the “Feast of Sacrifice,” coincides with the final rites of the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia. It’s a joyous occasion, for which food is a hallmark with devout Muslims buying and slaughtering animals and sharing two-thirds of the meat with the poor.Many Southeast Asia nations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore observed Eid al-Adha on Thursday, while Muslims in other parts of the globe, including in countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan and Nigeria, celebrated the holiday on Wednesday. It varies according to moon sightings in different parts of the world.On Thursday, worshippers shoulder-to-shoulder joined in communal prayers in the streets of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Mosques flooded...

Wisconsin Republicans try to force a vote on the reappointment of a nonpartisan election

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans who control the Wisconsin Senate, in a surprise move Wednesday night, proceeded with trying to force a vote on firing the state’s nonpartisan top elections official before the 2024 presidential election.The Senate voted to move ahead at a later date with a public hearing, and ultimately a confirmation vote, on the reappointment of Megan Wolfe for a second term overseeing elections in the presidential battleground state. Democrats walked out of the Senate chamber before the vote, objecting to bringing the unscheduled resolution to a vote at 9:30 p.m. on a day that was expected to focus on passage of the state budget.The Republican move was an attempt to get around Democrats on the Wisconsin Elections Commission who a day earlier tried to block the Senate from ever getting a chance to vote on Wolfe’s confirmation. Democrats fear that the Senate will reject her confirmation, which is the same as firing her.The three Democrats on the election...

In United Arab Emirates, struggling sea turtles get a helping hand

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The baby sea turtle flapped its flippers as it was lowered into the ocean, only to be pushed back ashore by the strong tide. It tried again, and this time it made it, swimming fast and deep into Persian Gulf waters lapping at a string of beachfront tourist resorts.Scientists hope the turtle will thrive back in its natural habitat, joining about 500 sea turtles that have been rescued, rehabilitated and released since Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency launched a program three years ago to aid turtles distressed by climate change and other issues.In the latest release in early June, about 80 turtles were carried to the water’s edge by members of the agency’s Wildlife Rescue Program, joined by members of the community. Many were outfitted with satellite tracking gear to help scientists better understand migration patterns and the success of rehabilitation methods.Turtles have historically been hunted for their meat and eggs, with the...

Maple Leafs select Easton Cowan 28th overall at NHL Draft

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs took London Knights forward Easton Cowan 28th overall at the NHL Draft on Wednesday.Toronto last picked in the first round back in 2020 when they selected Rodion Amirov 15th overall. Last year, the Leafs sent their first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks along with Petr Mrazek in exchange for a second-round pick which they used to take Fraser Minten.This is the first draft with Brad Treliving taking over for Kyle Dubas as general manager."It's a moment I'll never forget."Easton Cowan joins @SNCaroline to talk about his long trek through the arena, hearing his name, and the future as a Leaf. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/T6qtf53upV— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 29, 2023The five-foot-11, 170-pound Cowan had 20 goals and 33 assists in 68 regular-season games with the Knights this past season before putting up nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 20 playoff games.London advanced to the OHL final, where the Knights lost to the Peterboro...

The AP Interview: Olympics boss vows Paris Games will be safe, says no resignations planned in probe

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:49 GMT

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — What was shaping up as a regular workday turned out to be anything but for the organizers of France’s first summer Olympic Games in a century.French anti-corruption police raided their bustling Olympic headquarters on the outskirts of Paris, arriving unannounced and accompanied by a magistrate from a French financial crimes prosecution unit that has made a habit of going after sports’ rogues.This time, they were zeroing in on twenty or so of the many hundreds of business contracts that Olympic organizers have signed as they race to prepare the French capital for 10,500 athletes and millions of spectators next year. The investigators were hunting for documents and information as they dig into suspicions of favoritism, conflicts of interest, and misuse of some of the billions of euros (dollars) being sunk into the Paris Games that open July 26, 2024.Tony Estanguet, a former Olympic canoeing star with gold medals from the 2000, 2004 and 2012 Games, was at wor...