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The truth behind Europe’s most powerful farmers lobby

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 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...

Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán throws 1st perfect game since 2012. It’s the 24th in MLB history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

By MICHAEL WAGAMAN (Associated Press)OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Since arriving in the big leagues six years ago, Domingo Germán has been anything but perfect.Until now.The New York Yankees right-hander pitched the 24th perfect game in major league history Wednesday night, retiring every Oakland batter in an 11-0 victory over the Athletics.It was the first perfect game since Seattle Mariners ace Félix Hernández threw one against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, 2012. There were three that season — but none since until Germán finished off the first no-hitter in the majors this year. He joined Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999) as Yankees to pitch perfect games. Larsen’s gem came in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.“So exciting,” Germán said through a translator. “When you think about something very unique in baseball, not many people have an opportunity to pitch a perfect game. ...

Facebook content moderators in Kenya call the work ‘torture.’ Their lawsuit may ripple worldwide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — On the verge of tears, Nathan Nkunzimana recalled watching a video of a child being molested and another of a woman being killed. Eight hours a day, his job as a content moderator for a Facebook contractor required him to look at horrors so the world wouldn’t have to. Some overwhelmed colleagues would scream or cry, he said.Now, Nkunzimana is among nearly 200 former employees in Kenya who are suing Facebook and local contractor Sama over working conditions that could have implications for social media moderators around the world. It is the first known court challenge outside the United States, where Facebook settled with moderators in 2020.The group was employed at the social media giant’s outsourced hub for content moderation in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi, where workers screen posts, videos, messages and other content from users across Africa, removing any illegal or harmful material that breaches its community standards and terms of service.The moderato...

UNESCO member states expected to approve US decision to rejoin the UN’s cultural agency

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

PARIS (AP) — UNESCO’s 193 members states are gathering Thursday for a two-day meeting in Paris aimed at voting on the United States’ plans to rejoin the U.N. cultural and scientific agency after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization’s move to include Palestine as a member. The U.S. announced earlier this month, that it wanted to return, five years after it withdrew from the agency during the presidency of Donald Trump. U.S. officials say the decision was motivated by concern that China is filling the gap left by the U.S. in UNESCO policymaking, notably in setting standards for artificial intelligence and technology education around the world.Approval by member states seems a formality since not a single country has raised an objection to the return of a country that was once the agency’s single biggest funder. The vote is expected Thursday or Friday.The U.S. and Israel stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state in 2011. The Trump admin...

EU leaders to assess Putin’s position in talks with NATO and Ukraine chiefs at summit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be key figures at Thursday’s European Union summit, underscoring the importance the 27 EU leaders attach to protecting their eastern flank from Russian aggression and beefing up Ukraine’s defense capabilities.Zelenskyy is set to address the gathering by video link and Stoltenberg will have an early lunch at the spring summit for leaders. But the biggest seat will be set aside for an item that is not officially on the agenda: the fallout from the stunning weekend mutiny in Russia.“It will be the elephant in the room,” said a high-level EU diplomat who asked not to be identified because the summit still had to open.Officials from several member states and EU institutions said the chaos and instability created by the rebellion would not only force the EU to double down on its support for Ukraine with commitments for more ammunition but also intensify efforts to make sure fighting and violen...

Daily horoscope for June 29, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Scorpio.Happy Birthday for Thursday, June 29, 2023:You are sensitive and intuitive, which is why you can get such a good read on people. You grasp their situation. This year is about service to others, especially family. Therefore, take care of yourself so you can help and support others. (Is it time for a makeover?) Focus on personalizing your home.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★Make friends with your bank account today, because something unexpected could impact your finances. Double-check details regarding taxes, debt, inheritances and anything you own jointly with others. Someone might back out of an agreement. Tonight: Repairs.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★Someone close to you might throw you a curveball today, or a partner or close friend might want to change the arrangement in your relationship. Whatever happens, you will be surprised by someone today. They might be rebellious, or perhaps i...

EU countries and lawmakers reach data rule deal targeting Big Tech

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

EU countries and EU lawmakers on Tuesday (27 June) agreed on rules that govern how Big Tech and other companies use European consumer and corporate data, with safeguards against non-EU governments gaining illegal access.The European Commission proposed the Data Act last year to cover data generated in smart gadgets, machinery and consumer products, part of a raft of legislation aimed at curbing the power of US tech giants.EU concerns about data transfers have grown following revelations by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 of mass U.S. surveillance.The agreement was reached after seven hours of talks."Tonight's agreement on the Data Act is a milestone in reshaping the digital space...we are on the way of a thriving EU data economy that is innovative and open — on our conditions," EU industry chief Thierry Breton said in a tweet.The new legislation gives both individuals and businesses more control over their data generated through smart objects, machines and...

Fireworks thrown at Hermosa Beach crowds celebrating Pride may be a hate crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

Police are searching for a man who threw an exploding firework into a large crowd at an LGBTQ+ Pride event in Hermosa Beach.On June 17, the suspect was near a silent disco event at a bar/restaurant called Vista around 9:45 p.m. when he pulled out a firework, lit it and threw it into the crowd. The incident was captured on a video shared by police.Fragments of fireworks struck multiple people at the crowded restaurant, located at 11 Pier Ave., police said. Despite the "significant explosion," victims' injuries were not life-threatening.Video released by the Hermosa Beach Police Department shows a man throwing a lit firework into a crowd on June 17, 2023. (Hermosa Beach Police)Jeremy McDermott, the manager of Vista, said hundreds of people were attending the event celebrating LGBTQ+ culture and Pride month when the explosion went off."We had 400 people already here,” McDermott said. “It was pretty rough and a rude awakening for everyone enjoying a silent disco here. It was an unfortun...

Dear Abby: I prevailed in the dispute but it split our friend group

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I’m a professional travel adviser who works on commission. Many of my clients are friends or relatives, and I sincerely appreciate their patronage.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I’m sure his wife saw his inappropriate behavior with me Advice | Dear Abby: We can’t go out with her anymore, and we can’t tell her why Advice | Dear Abby: My daughters want to follow the same house rules as my son Advice | Dear Abby: He made my life miserable, and my daughter demands I socialize with him Advice | Dear Abby: How do I tell her our dinners are no longer high priority? Many years ago, my husband and I became friends with a delightful couple. We patronized the husband’s business, and they introduced us to many of their friends. We sponsored them into a social club, and they made many new friends because of it. We have entertained them in our home numerous times for priva...

Single family residence in Danville sells for $1.8 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:27 GMT

192 Belgian Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 100 block of Belgian Drive in Danville was sold on June 2, 2023. The $1,775,000 purchase price works out to $841 per square foot. The house, built in 1964, has an interior space of 2,111 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, an attached garage, and two parking spaces. There’s also a pool in the backyard. The unit sits on an 0.3-acre lot.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:In August 2022, a 1,860-square-foot home on Roan Drive in Danville sold for $1,588,500, a price per square foot of $854. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,664-square-foot home on the first block of Leonard Court in Danville sold in May 2022, for $1,865,000, a price per square foot of $1,121. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Green Valley Road, Danville, in July 2022, a 1,596-square-foot home was sold for $1,550,000, a price per square foot of $971. The home has 3...