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European farmers challenge current nature restoration proposal

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European farmers challenge current nature restoration proposal

The European Commission proposed a new nature restoration law last year.

Europe’s largest farmers’ associations are protesting against the European nature restoration law, a legislative proposal that would protect at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea area by 2030.

Copa-Cogeca, which includes representatives of European farmers and agricultural cooperatives, wants the European Commission to withdraw the act, arguing that it will reduce areas for agriculture, forestry and horticultural activities.

“We would actually reduce our ability to produce food, and we would be more exposed to imports,” Pekka Pesonen, secretary general of Copa-Cogeca, told Euronews on Thursday, during a protest in front of the European Parliament.

“We want to produce food for European citizens, and this legislation seriously threatens that objective of our sector,” he added.

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The European Commission says that the restoration legislation is important for addressing serious ecological threats.

Roughly 81% of habitats have a poor conservation status in the EU, according to the European Environment Agency.

Bees, birds and butterfly species are declining, which puts the balance of ecosystems in danger.

The new law is also seen as a tool to fight climate change, allowing for nature, such as forests, wetlands and grasslands, to thrive in order to capture C02 emissions.

These systems are fundamental to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — the objective that was set in the Paris Agreement. That is why the law also contains targets for green urban spaces, river connectivity and marine protection.

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Deadlock in the European Parliament?

All this is being discussed by the European Parliament, but on Wednesday, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) decided to withdraw from negotiations.

Like Copa-Cogeca, the EPP demands a new comprehensive impact assessment by the European Commission before approving any legislation.

“We are not against nature restoration, we are against bad legislation, and that is why the EPP stands ready to shoot down the Nature Restoration Law as it stands today,” said Tom Vandenkendelaere, Belgian MEP at the EPP, during the protest.

The leader of the EPP group, Manfred Weber, said that the measures would not take into account the economic impacts of the war in Ukraine and that it puts excessive pressure “on our rural communities and our farmers”.

The law is a key element of the EU Green Deal, and the European Commission has even made the economic argument that every euro invested into nature restoration adds 8 to 38 euros in benefits, according to their estimations.

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The centre-left, Greens and some liberal MEPs want to pass the legislation by the end of the year.

“For food security, we need ecological, sustainable systems that work for everyone. We are part of nature, we cannot think that the nature around (us) will get sick and we stay healthy… It does not work like that,” Sarah Wiener, an Austrian MEP from the Greens, told Euronews.

“We have to think about other generations but also about what we are eating. Within our food chain, we eat also a little bit of pesticides, you eat antibiotics, you eat chemical stuff. Nobody wants to eat that,” added this former restaurant chef who wants a review of the intensive agricultural model and a shift towards a more organic system.

This would be the first binding law requiring all 27 EU states to implement nature protection measures.

A 100 billion euros budget would help support the efforts. The countries are expected to submit National Restoration Plans to the European Commission within two years of the regulation coming into force.

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The current Swedish presidency of the EU planned to reach a general approach at the ministerial level during the Environment Council, on 20th June.

In the meantime, César Luena, a Spanish socialist lawmaker, will try to get lawmakers to reach a consensus as the parliament’s rapporteur for the law tabled in June 2022.

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No fairytale return to Germany for Lewandowski

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No fairytale return to Germany for Lewandowski
Given Germany is where Robert Lewandowski forged his fearsome reputation, Euro 2024 would have been a fitting arena for the Polish poacher to add significant gloss to an illustrious career and potentially end his international playing days on a high.
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Medical intern surprises would-be sexual abuser with hidden talent: 'Those lessons saved my life'

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Medical intern surprises would-be sexual abuser with hidden talent: 'Those lessons saved my life'

A medical intern in Thailand fought off a drunk nurse who tried to grope her one night, busting out fighting skills that helped her kick her would-be assaulter to the curb. 

“I have been doing Muay Thai boxing since I was a kid,” Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22, told reporters. “I know how to kick, knee and punch someone. I know how to wrestle with them. It was my instinctive reaction to protect myself.”

“I’m lucky my grandfather taught me self-defense skills when I was a young girl,” she added. “Those lessons saved my life.”

CCTV footage from around midnight shows the 30-year-old male nurse approaching Petcharaporn from behind as she picked up some food before leaving for the night. He first circles behind her as though just wandering around the area aimlessly before turning and reaching for her.

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ANIMAL CARETAKERS IN THAILAND ‘SHOCKED’ AFTER SURPRISE BIRTH OF RARE TWIN ELEPHANTS

Petcharaporn Phadungjai, a 22-year-old medical intern in Thailand, fought off a would-be sexual abuser with Muay Thai.  (ViralPress)

As soon as the nurse’s arms wrap around the intern, she grabs him and drives him back towards the far wall. He keeps a strong grip on her, but as soon as she faces him, she drives her knee into his groin, giving herself a chance to pull free.

Once separated, she kicks him again, striking him in the stomach before setting into a defensive stance and yelling at him to back off. 

DOZENS ARRESTED AS THAI POLICE DISMANTLE CRIME NETWORK THAT FACILITATED LONG-TERM STAYS FOR FOREIGNERS

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Medical intern assault

A petite Thai medical intern used Muay Thai kicks to fight off a drunk male nurse assaulting her in a hospital. Speaking out publicly for the first time since the incident, Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22 (pictured) said she was working a nightshift when the colleague crept up behind her and groped her in Samut Prakan, Thailand. But he was unaware that her hobby is Muay Thai boxing, and she kneed him in the crotch then kicked him in the stomach to subdue the alleged attacker. 

The hospital reported the incident to the police and fired the nurse as allegations that he had similarly harassed other female interns emerged, ViralPress reported. 

Petcharaporn said she had ordered dinner but could not pick it up herself, so the nurse, who was drinking at a neighboring food stall, offered to bring it to her. She had to go to the general ward, because men are not allowed in the women’s ward. 

THAI TOWN OVERRUN BY WILD MONKEYS LAUNCHES CAPTURE AND RELOCATION OPERATION

Bangkok tournament fighters

Muay Thai fighters warm up ahead of a Rajadamnern World Series Muay Thai tournament at Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on March 9, 2024.  (Valeria Mongelli/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“When he arrived, he told me to scan the QR code to pay for the food,” Petcharaporn said. “I placed the phone on the desk, and that’s when he grabbed me from behind.”

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She alleged that the nurse had flirted with her during her internship, often calling her “darling” or indicating he liked her, but she had treated it as teasing. She also revealed that she feared that he would try to rape her if she didn’t fight him off. 

Thailand suffers a significant sexual violence problem, with at least seven women sexually assaulted or abused per day, according to a report from the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC). 

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Houthis claim attack on ship that docked in Israel

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Houthis claim attack on ship that docked in Israel

Houthis say the commercial vessel was targeted for using an Israeli port as they step up their campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Houthis in Yemen say they launched attacks on a commercial vessel after it used an Israeli port, and on a US aircraft carrier ordered home after months of responding to sea attacks launched because of the war on Gaza.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesman of the Iran-aligned group, said in a televised announcement on Saturday the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Transworld Navigator was directly hit by ballistic missiles in the Arabian Sea.

“The ship was targeted because the company that owns it violated the ban of entry into the ports of occupied Palestine,” he said, alluding to an earlier threat that all ships docking at Israeli ports would be considered targets.

The attack came after the sinking this week of the ship MV Tutor, which appears to mark a new escalation in the campaign against commercial vessels in vital maritime corridors.

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Saree also claimed an attack using ballistic and cruise missiles on the USS Eisenhower, which has led US Navy operations in the region since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Saree said “the operation has achieved its objectives successfully” without elaborating. One unnamed US official told Reuters news agency the claim “is incorrect”.

The Houthis and social media accounts supporting them have repeatedly falsely claimed to hit or even sink the aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.

The announcement came shortly after US officials reportedly ordered the USS Eisenhower to return home after more than eight months of deployment, with another aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific set to replace it.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Friday that a vessel was attacked 126 nautical miles (233km) east of Aden in Yemen. It said the master reported “explosions in the vicinity of the vessel” and the crew is safe.

The Houthis pledged to continue their military operations, which they have said are in support of Palestinians and will only stop when the siege of Gaza is lifted.

The group has launched more than 60 attacks, sunk two commercial ships, seized another, and attacked dozens more since the start of the war.

In March, the Houthis killed three people after one of its antiship ballistic missiles set the Barbados-flagged True Confidence on fire.

The US and United Kingdom militaries have launched air raids across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen to weaken the group’s military capabilities.

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