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Almost €34 million in European Solidarity Funds awarded to Romania to repair damages caused by severe drought in 2022

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

The Commission has approved €33.9 million from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to support Romania in addressing the extensive damages caused by droughts and wildfires in 2022.Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira (pictured) said: “This is EU solidarity in action! We promised, and we delivered: €33.9 million in financial support will help Romania rebuild and restore what was destroyed to the drought and wildfires in 2022. The EU Solidarity Fund is a tangible way to show our solidarity and support and is paramount in the face of unrelenting climate change.”Between March and August 2022, Romania was affected by a severe drought caused by reduced rainfall. This had widespread consequences such as the failure of crops, forest fires, and scarcity of running and drinking water for the population in many regions.The EUSF assistance will cover part of the costs of emergency and recovery operations, such as rescue services and interventions to support the immediate needs ...

Harriette Cole: I’m in college, and I need my mom to stop with the panicky phone calls

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am about to be a senior in college, and I find myself in a challenging situation with my mom.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My boyfriend’s Instagram posts make me worried that he did something wrong Advice | Harriette Cole: We split up a year ago, and I can’t stop thinking about him Advice | Harriette Cole: I want to shut down my friend’s snooping without a lot of drama Advice | Harriette Cole: My birthday wish list could get me in trouble with my family Advice | Harriette Cole: My two roommates are moving out, and I don’t believe their excuse Despite my being in college and striving for independence, she continues to exhibit helicopter-parenting tendencies. I understand that it is coming out of love, but she is constantly calling me, terrified about my well-being and telling me where I should and shouldn’t go on campus based on what she’s b...

Miss Manners: Am I wrong to insist my husband should take a bite of everything at a party?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When dining in someone’s home, the food is often served buffet-style so each guest can fill their own dinner plate.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: I was in tears after this stranger’s comment in the grocery store Advice | Miss Manners: Both teens are uncomfortable with the other mom’s comparisons Advice | Miss Manners: I want Florida woman to stop sending these texts Advice | Miss Manners: Our little boy’s striking hair prompts questions we’d rather not answer Advice | Miss Manners: Did they really think it was OK to say this in an obituary? My husband will bypass certain foods because he does not particularly like them. He is not allergic, nor does he find these foods revolting or otherwise distasteful. He just doesn’t enjoy them.In this situation, I believe one must sample every food the host has thoughtfully prepared — first, because ...

Dear Abby: The ex-wife is coaching her children to be mean to this little girl

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My grandson’s ex-wife is instructing their four children to “be mean” to his new 6-year-old stepdaughter. The children are all under 12.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My boyfriend doesn’t want this woman to know about me Advice | Dear Abby: My son’s wife and mother-in-law are ganging up on him Advice | Dear Abby: I am furious that the bride disinvited my little girl from the high-profile wedding Advice | Dear Abby: My husband invites his friends and waltzes away from the hassle Advice | Dear Abby: Should my children forgive my cheating ex-wife? We do not speak to the ex-wife, but what can we do to stop this destructive behavior?— APPALLED IN GEORGIADEAR APPALLED: I am so glad you wrote. Your grandson’s former wife is behaving like a vengeful witch. That she would use the children to hurt a blameless child is appalling.You may be able to defuse som...

Leading News Outlets Are Doing the Fossil Fuel Industry’s Greenwashing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

In a recent episode of the podcast “Powered By How,” award-winning journalist Nisha Pillai leads a discussion on the energy transition. Over the course of 25 minutes, the guests — a business psychologist, a renewable energy investor, and the head of an innovation lab — describe the challenges of scaling new technologies to combat the climate crisis. The casual listener could easily miss the first five seconds, when Pillai, a former BBC World News presenter whose voice instills instant confidence, announces that the podcast was produced by Reuters Plus in partnership with fossil fuel giant Saudi Aramco. Pillai never explains that Reuters Plus is the publication’s internal ad studio, nor does she remind listeners of the show’s sponsor when the head of the innovation lab, an Aramco executive, touts the benefits of unproven, industry-backed technologies. Reuters is one of at least seven major news outlets that creates and publishes misleading promotional content for fossil f...

Melania Trump to speak at National Archives event swearing in new US citizens

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

First lady Melania Trump listens during a news conference with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, April 18, 2018 in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)(AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) First lady Melania Trump listens during a news conference with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, April 18, 2018 in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)(AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (CNN) — Former first lady Melania Trump is set to speak at a National Archives ceremony next week to swear in new US citizens, according to a news release from the agency.Melania ...

6-time ‘Dancing with the Stars’ champ Derek Hough brings ‘Symphony of Dance’ to MGM National Harbor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

The most decorated “Dancing with the Stars” champion in the show’s history is coming to perform live in the D.C. area.Derek Hough will bring his dazzling stage show “Symphony of Dance” to MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, this Wednesday, Dec. 6.“I love D.C. so much,” Hough told WTOP. “The last time I was there, I had the best time at the Kennedy [Center] Honors and just explored the city. … One of my favorite restaurants is actually there. My new wife, I’ve been telling her about this restaurant and I was telling her, ‘I’m going to fly to D.C. just to eat there.’ … It’s called Maydan. It’s like a Middle Eastern restaurant. … I can’t wait to take her there. If we have time, we’re going to be a bit busy!”Indeed, Hough and wife Hayley Erbert will work up an appetite performing together in “Symphony of Dance.”“I’ve done over 10 tours and this tour, this...

No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini take on the No. 11 Florida Atlantic Owls

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

Florida Atlantic Owls (7-1) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1, 1-0 Big Ten)New York; Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. ESTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Owls -2; over/under is 147.5BOTTOM LINE: The No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini take on the No. 11 Florida Atlantic Owls in New York City, New York.The Fighting Illini are 5-1 in non-conference play. Illinois is the Big Ten leader with 11.9 offensive rebounds per game led by Coleman Hawkins averaging 1.8.The Owls are 7-1 in non-conference play. Florida Atlantic ranks fourth in the AAC allowing 67.1 points while holding opponents to 40.6% shooting.Illinois averages 8.3 made 3-pointers per game, 1.3 more made shots than the 7.0 per game Florida Atlantic gives up. Florida Atlantic averages 25.3 more points per game (83.9) than Illinois allows to opponents (58.6).TOP PERFORMERS: Terrence Shannon Jr. is shooting 45.8% from beyond the arc with 3.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Fighting Illini, while averaging 20 points. Dain Dainja is shooting 66.0% and aver...

Greta Thunberg accuses Israel of ‘war crimes’ and ‘genocide’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

Greta Thunberg accused Israel of committing war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip, demanding an end to “inexcusable violence” days after Israeli forces resumed attacks against Palestinian militant group Hamas.“The horrific murders of Israeli civilians by Hamas cannot in any way legitimise Israel’s ongoing war crimes,” the Swedish activist said in an opinion piece published Tuesday in several outlets. “Genocide is not self-defence, nor is it in any way a proportionate response.”Thunberg, whom Israel has lambasted for publicly showing her support for the Palestinian cause, pushed back against accusations that her activist movement, Fridays for Future, has “been radicalised” or “become political.”“We have always been political, because we have always been a movement for justice,” she wrote. “Standing in solidarity with Palestinians and all affected civilians has never been in question for us.”In the fiery op-ed with other members of the Fridays for Future Sweden gro...

DOJ watchdog slams Rachael Rollins in scathing report to Congress

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:18:30 GMT

The DOJ’s top watchdog highlights Rachael Rollins in a scathing report to Congress, saying the ex-U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts was an example of significant misconduct — citing her case in the same sentence as sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide.Right off the top in his introduction, DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz calls out Rollins’ resignation in May for an attempt to “influence” the Suffolk DA’s race, “among other things,” as a focus of his policing.It’s a harsh indictment that Horowitz stressed along with a probe into the shoddy “supervision” of pedophile Epstein, who committed suicide while in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Manhattan in 2019.“The OIG’s Investigations Division closed 125 criminal or administrative misconduct cases, andits work resulted in 44 convictions or pleas and 84 terminations, administrative disciplinary actions, and resignations,”  Horowitz wr...