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Wilders ally overseeing first stage of Dutch coalition-building quits over fraud allegation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A party ally of far-right Dutch election winner Geert Wilders on Monday quit his role in the building of a new governing coalition over fraud allegations, throwing the process of creating a new government into turmoil before it had begun.Gom van Strien, a senator for Wilders’ Party for Freedom, was appointed last week as a “scout” to discuss possible coalitions. He was set to meet Wilders and other party leaders on Monday, but those meetings were canceled.“It is annoying to start the exploration phase like this,” Vera Bergkamp, president of the lower house of the Dutch parliament, said in a statement. She added that “it is now important that a new scout is quickly appointed who can start work immediately.”Van Strien has denied wrongdoing after Dutch media reported that he was embroiled in a fraud case. But on Monday morning, he issued a statement saying that “both the unrest that has arisen about this and the preparation of a response to it”...

What's the authentic Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence rose and Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is “authentic.”Authentic cuisine. Authentic voice. Authentic self. Authenticity as artifice. Lookups for the word are routinely heavy on the dictionary company's site but were boosted to new heights throughout the year, editor at large Peter Sokolowski told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview.“We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity,” he said ahead of Monday's announcement of this year's word. “What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.”Sokolowski and his team don't delve into the reasons people head for dictionaries and websites in search of specific words. Rather, they chase the data on lookup spikes and world events that correlate. This time around, there was no particularly huge boost at any given time but a constancy to the increased inte...

EU trade of goods with Russia remains low

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

EU trade with Russia has been strongly affected by import and export restrictions imposed by the EU following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  Both exports and imports have dropped considerably below the level prior to the invasion. Seasonally adjusted values show that Russia’s share in extra-EU imports fell from 9.5% in February 2022 to 2.0% in September 2023, while the share of extra-EU exports fell from 3.8 % to 1.4% in the same period.  Source dataset: ext_st_eu27_2020sitcIn March 2022, a peak trade deficit with Russia amounted to €18.6 billion due to high prices of energy products. This deficit was brought down to €0.1bn in March 2023 and did not change much until September 2023 when it amounted to €1bn. This change was heavily influenced by the drop in the monthly value of imports from Russia.Russia’s share in extra-EU imports has decreased for the majority of key productsAltogether, natural gas, petroleum oils, nickel, iron and steel and fertilisers account for around two-third...

Commission and High Representative/Vice-President reinforce their commitment to protect women and girls from violence

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the European Commission and the High Representative/Vice-President issued the following statement: “Globally, the rights of women and girls have faced threats, reductions, or complete elimination, significantly impeding progress achieved over decades. The European Union continues to stand up against all forms of violence against women and girls. We maintain our unwavering support for women and girls who have suffered from violence, as victims and survivors, and condemn the use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war. Violence against women and girls is a scar on all societies. The facts are shocking: in the EU and across the world, one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence, including abuse, harassment, rape, sexual exploitation, genital mutilation, forced marriage and femicide. Invisible despair is what many women and girls have to live with. Protecting t...

Smokers’ lives at risk when they’re denied alternatives to cigarettes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

When dogma replaces science in public health policy, people pay with their lives. That was the stark warning from experts who took part in an online discussion hosted by the Italian cultural and political journal Formiche. There are more than a billion cigarette smokers in the world and if they don’t stop, half of them will die as a result. So it’s vitally important to adopt the most effective methods to get them to give up, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.Smoke-free nicotine products, such as vapes are 90% safer than smoking cigarettes and have proved highly effective at helping smokers to give up a habit that is likely to kill them. Nicotine is addictive but it’s the smoke that kills. Yet the only nicotine product the World Health Organisation is not currently trying to ban outright is cigarettes.That shocking observation was made by Dr Anders Milton, president of Sweden’s Snus Commission. Snus is a tobacco product almost unique to Sweden, which is not lit but simply placed un...

Commission endorses positive preliminary assessment of Slovakia's request for a €662 million disbursement under the Recovery and Resilience Facility

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

The Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Slovakia's payment request for €662 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This is Slovakia's third payment request under the RRF. With their request, the Slovakian authorities provided detailed and comprehensive evidence demonstrating the satisfactory fulfilment of 21 milestones and six targets.On 25 September 2023, Slovakia submitted to the Commission a payment request based on the achievement of the 21 milestones and six targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the third instalment. These cover a set of transformative reformsrelated to renewables, green and digital transition, education, research and development, as well as important investments to create new Digital Innovation Hubs.The Slovakian recovery and resilience plan includes a wide range of investment and reform measures organised in 19 thematic components. The plan will be fina...

Horoscopes Nov. 27, 2023: Alison Pill, proceed with confidence

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Alison Pill, 38; Jaleel White, 47; Fisher Stevens, 60; Kathryn Bigelow, 72.Happy Birthday: Leave nothing to chance. Do your due diligence and proceed with confidence. It’s up to you to control and manufacture what you want. Change is apparent but will require a hands-on approach to minimize the mental, emotional or physical cost. Trust yourself, not hearsay. Break down every detail separately, and you can transform your intentions into something concrete. A passionate mind will lead to an exciting transformation. Your numbers are 4, 17, 21, 24, 32, 37, 49.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Stay focused on what’s important to you and what you need to do to keep your cash flowing and growing. Learn from mistakes and refuse to let anyone interfere or convince you to do something that isn’t in your best interest. Put yourself first. 4 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t labor over what others do; pay attention to what’s important and ...

Ask Amy: This teen mom is trying to manipulate my son

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

Dear Amy: My youngest son, “Thomas,” dated “Alyssa” sporadically during high school.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: I’m being punished for refusing to give in to my child’s spouse Advice | Ask Amy: Now I’m expected to sew a custom quilt for a stranger as a gift Advice | Ask Amy: I heard my teen bragging about her trickery. I’m furious; my husband thinks it’s cute. Advice | Ask Amy: My boyfriend said his public insult was just a joke. Should I let it go? Advice | Ask Amy: This odd comment makes me wonder if my empty-nest parents are off the rails It was a volatile relationship (he’s non-confrontational, she loves drama).Alyssa became pregnant at the end of his senior year (her junior year). He took a paternity test to confirm that he was the father. They managed to work out visitation (nothing legal).“Trent” is now 10 months old, an...

Harriette Cole: I’m on the brink of unloading on my husband about the car crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband recently crashed his car while running a stop sign, and I’m finding it difficult to cope with the situation.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I can no longer be silent about this messed-up family Advice | Harriette Cole: She’s the restaurant patron from hell, and she needs to hear that Advice | Harriette Cole: How to reboot when Thanksgiving stress sets in Advice | Harriette Cole: What do I do about an ex-friend who’s trying to undermine my work? Advice | Harriette Cole: My newfound love of reading is disrupting my life The worst part is that we were so close to paying off the car, and now we have to deal with the financial repercussions of the accident.I can’t help but feel upset and frustrated, especially considering the progress we had made in paying off the car. It feels like a setback we didn’t need, and I’m struggling to find a w...

Miss Manners: How do I tell these people I don’t want their prayers?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:00 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My question concerns the phrase “thoughts and prayers,” which imposes one’s own religion on those with differing (or no) religious beliefs.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: My mother-in-law tried to ban me from wearing bright colors on vacation Advice | Miss Manners: Is this lowering of office chairs a common practice? Advice | Miss Manners: How can I rein in a greedy co-worker? Advice | Miss Manners: How should I have responded to a loud comment about my makeup? Advice | Miss Manners: She was embarrassingly rude in public and then blamed it on anxiety I do respect the rights of individuals to believe in and practice their own religion. I do not, however, think that any religious beliefs/practices should be forced upon others.I am a lifelong atheist who abandoned religion once I was old enough to challenge my parents’ beliefs. I have now been diagnosed with...