Romanian premier resigns after his coalition's candidate fails to advance to presidential runoff
BUCHAREST, Romania — Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation on Monday, a day after the governing coalition's joint candidate failed to advance to the runoff in the European Union country's critical presidential election rerun.
The coalition's candidate, Crin Antonescu, finished third in Sunday's first round vote, putting him narrowly behind Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, and far behind hard-right nationalist George Simion — who decisively took first place.
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
State Legislature Acts To ‘Make Texas Healthy Again'
Under Senate Bill 25, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott's signature, Texas could become one of the first states to mandate warning labels on foods containing artificial dyes and specific chemicals. The bill, dubbed the Make Texas Healthy Again Act, requires labels on products containing one or more of some 40-plus additives, such as Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and titanium dioxide. The label would state: 'WARNING: This product contains an ingredient that is not recommended for human consumption by the appropriate authority in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom.' The warning label must be prominent, readable, and would apply to products packaged after January 1, 2027. A loophole allows producers using existing packaging through 2036 to avoid the requirement. The bill also invalidates state labeling rules if federal regulations supersede them. 'Texas can really lead here. … These bills represent a Texas way that prioritizes transparency, prioritizes good education and prioritizes incentive change,' Calley Means, a top adviser to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said during a Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing. Beyond labeling, SB 25 increases physical activity requirements for middle school students from four to six semesters of 30-minute daily sessions and mandates nutrition education for undergraduates, developed by a seven-member Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee appointed by the governor by December 31, 2025. The committee would include experts in metabolic health, a licensed physician, a Texas Department of Agriculture representative, and others. In addition, doctors and nurses must complete continuing education on nutrition to maintain their licenses. 'This sweeping legislation is not just another bill. It's a call to action — one that so many Texans and Americans are realizing — that something is wrong and that something needs to change in our food industry and in our sedentary lifestyle,' Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), the bill's sponsor, told The Texas Tribune. The bill garnered bipartisan support, with 10 Senate Democrats and three House Democrats sponsoring or co-sponsoring. 'This is about the MAHA parents and the crunchy granola parents coming together to say, 'We are sick and tired of being sick and tired,'' said Rep. Lacey Hull (R-Houston) before the House passed the bill on May 25. Food industry groups, including Walmart, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, General Mills, and Frito-Lay, opposed the labeling, warning in a letter that it 'could destabilize local and regional economies.' Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D-San Antonio) expressed concern that 'the cost of food will continue to rise,' the Tribune reported. Kolkhorst countered in February that 'the market will adjust.' Supporters, like the Episcopal Health Foundation, see health benefits. 'The amount of money and time we're spending treating diabetes as opposed to preventing it is huge, especially in Texas,' said Brian Sasser, the foundation's chief communications officer, per the Tribune. Andy Keller of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute added, 'In a world that pretends the brain is not part of the body, this bill will put tools in the hands of children, parents and teachers to begin truly addressing emotional health and wellbeing.' The bill aligns with federal Make America Healthy Again initiatives, with Kolkhorst noting Kennedy's personal call urging its passage. 'As in so many cases, we're not waiting on Washington,' said Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) in February. 'Texas will act.'
Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Italy's referendum on citizenship and job protections fails on low turnout
ROME — Italy 's referendums aimed at relaxing citizenship laws and improving job protections failed on Monday due to low turnout, partial data showed. It was a clear defeat for the center-left opposition and a victory for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the ruling right-wing coalition, who openly supported abstaining from voting. Official data from almost 90% of polling stations showed that turnout hovered around 30% of eligible voters after two days of voting, well below the 50% plus one required to make the vote valid. Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party celebrated the referendum's failure. 'The only real goal of this referendum was to bring down the Meloni government,' the party said on social media, posting a picture of the main opposition's leaders. 'In the end, it was the Italians who brought you down.' Maurizio Landini, leader of the CGIL trade union that was behind the initiative, acknowledged the defeat. 'We knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park,' he said. 'There is an obvious crisis of democracy and participation.' The proposals wanted to make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship, and provide more job protections. Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law said it would help second-generation Italians born in the country to non- European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs. The new rules, if passed, would have affected about 2.5 million foreign nationals who still struggle to be recognized as citizens. Campaigners said the proposed reforms also would have allowed faster access to civil and political rights, such as the right to vote, eligibility for public employment and freedom of movement within the EU. Activists and opposition parties denounced the lack of public debate on the measures, accusing the governing coalition of having tried to dampen interest in sensitive issues that directly impact immigrants and workers. In May, Italy's AGCOM communications authority lodged a complaint against RAI state television and other broadcasters over a lack of adequate and balanced coverage. Opinion polls published in mid-May showed that only 46% of Italians were aware of the issues driving the referendums. 'Many believe that the referendum institution should be reviewed in light of the high levels of abstention (that) emerged in recent elections and the turnout threshold should be lowered,' said Lorenzo Pregliasco, political analyst and pollster at YouTrend. Zampano writes for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
What is the high seas treaty?
The high seas treaty could be law by the end of the year, affording protection to marine life in the vast swathes of ocean that belong to no one. The treaty was adopted by UN member states in June 2023. It has been ratified by 31 nations plus the European Union, and comes into force 120 days after its 60th ratification. But at the UN Ocean Conference this week, hosts France said around 50 countries have ratified the pact, bringing it within reach of enactment. The United States signed the treaty in 2023 under Joe Biden but is not expected to ratify it while Donald Trump is president. Here are the key points of the treaty text: - International waters - The treaty covers international waters, which fall outside the jurisdiction of any single state, and account for more than 60 percent of the world's oceans. Specifically, it applies to waters beyond countries' exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 200 nautical miles from the coast. It also covers what is known as "the Area", shorthand for seabed and subsoil beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. The Area comprises just over half of the planet's seabed. Once enacted, a decision-making body -- a Conference of the Parties (COP) -- would have to work with regional and global organizations that already oversee different aspects of the oceans. These include regional fisheries bodies and the International Seabed Authority, the arena where nations are hotly contesting a proposed set of rules to govern deep-sea mining. Trump's decision to sidestep the authority -- to which the US is not a member -- and issue deep-sea mining permits in international waters has raised tricky questions of jurisdiction. - Marine protected areas - Currently, almost all protected marine areas (MPAs) are within national territorial waters. The treaty, however, allows for these reserves to be created in the open ocean. Most decisions would be taken by a consensus of the COP, but an MPA can be voted into existence with a three-quarters majority, to prevent deadlock caused by a single country. One crucial shortcoming: the text does not say how these conservation measures will be monitored and enforced over remote swathes of the ocean -- a task that will fall to the COP. Some experts say satellites could be used to spot infractions. Individual countries are already responsible for certain activities on the high seas that they have jurisdiction over, such as those of ships flying their flags. - Sharing the bounty? - On the high seas, countries and entities under their jurisdiction will be allowed to collect animal, plant, or microbial matter whose genetic material might prove useful, even commercially. Scientists, for example, have discovered molecules with the potential to treat cancer or other diseases in microbes scooped up in sediment, or produced by sponges or marine mollusks. Benefits-sharing of those resources has been a key point of contention between wealthy and poorer nations. The treaty establishes frameworks for the transfer of marine research technologies to developing countries and a strengthening of their research capacities, as well as open access to data. But it's left to the COP to decide exactly how any monetary benefits will eventually be shared, with options including a system based on specific commercialized products, or more generalized payment systems. - Environmental impact studies - The treaty requires signatories to assess the environmental impacts of planned activities under their control on the high seas before they are authorized in instances when such activities may have more than a minor or transitory effect. It also calls for countries to assess the potential impact on international waters of activities within national jurisdictions that may cause "substantial pollution" or harm the high sea marine environment. Ultimately, states are responsible for giving the green light to any potentially harmful activity -- a role NGOs hoped would go to the COP, to make controversial approvals more difficult. The treaty also requires states to publish updates on an activity's environmental impacts. Approvals can be called into question if unanticipated impacts arise. Though they are not specifically listed in the treaty, activities that could come under regulation include transport and fishing, as well as more controversial subjects such as deep-sea mining or even geo-engineering initiatives to mitigate global warming. abd/np/sms
