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Von der Leyen’s portfolio paradoxes

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Von der Leyen’s portfolio paradoxes

Exotic hybrid portfolios, overlapping policies, and candidates with a problematic past could all plague plans for the new European Commission outlined by Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen yesterday.

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Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to get rid of “rigid stovepipes”, as she unveiled plans for her second mandate yesterday (17 September).   

She may indeed seek to avoid the kind of stiff structures that can lead to isolated and contradictory policymaking. 

But complex compound portfolios and overlapping responsibilities risk making her Commission look more like tangled spaghetti.  

Weird pairings

One common theme of the new portfolios she has handed to her 26 lieutenants is the creation of exotic compound briefs.  

Slovakia’s Maroš Šefčovič will pair trade — a flagship policy area where Brussels holds significant power – with overall relations with other institutions such as the European Parliament.

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Denmark’s Dan Jørgensen has been given responsibility for housing alongside energy, while Belgium’s Hadja Lahbib combines crisis management and equality – prompting outrage from activists who worry she’ll have to split her time between pandemics, forest fires and women’s rights. 

Those choices may be as much about the quality of the candidate as the portfolio. Šefčovič is seen as a safe pair of hands who’s hoovered up many miscellaneous duties in his time in Brussels; Lahbib, as a woman with Algerian roots, is perhaps viewed as a good pick for equality in the normally lily-white, male-dominated Commission. 

Socialist MEPs, having insisted on a post to tackle Europe’s housing shortage, wanted it to go to one of their own, and Jørgensen is one of the few centre-left options von der Leyen had.

Bumping heads

In other cases, overlaps among portfolios are likely to lead to duplication or territorial infighting.

Such squabbles are nothing new: there’s been a longstanding dispute over who’s responsible for food policy between the Commission’s health and agriculture services.  

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Those aren’t necessarily now resolved: according to the brief sent by von der Leyen, Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi remains responsible for food safety and affordability — though Luxembourg’s Christophe Hansen is officially designated as “commissioner for agriculture and food.” 

Worse still, Várhelyi will have to tussle with Lahbib over the newly established Commission department for Health Emergency Preparedness (DG HERA).

Among her duties as Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Croatia’s Dubravka Šuica is invited to fix tensions in the Middle East, “promoting all the steps needed for a two-state solution” to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

That might seem a tall order for the former mayor of Dubrovnik, whose previous responsibilities included preparing a report on demography and organising the Conference on the Future of Europe.

It also may mean bumping heads with Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, responsible for the EU’s overall foreign policy.

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Cooperation between the two “is not clear yet”, one senior commission official said today; while Kallas will deal with “questions of war and peace,” the requirement for frequent travel to the region means it’s too big a job for one person, added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hearing trouble

In some cases, von der Leyen’s picks might lead to trouble when she submits her roster for confirmation by the European Parliament. 

Alongside his climate brief, the Netherlands’ Wopke Hoekstra has been handed responsibility for tax – though he’s a finance minister from a country that’s long been in Brussels’ sights for aggressive tax planning, and the Paradise Papers leak of 2021 revealed his links to the Virgin Islands, a tax haven.

Ireland’s Michael McGrath may also feel the heat for having opposed a 2018 referendum to legalise abortion.

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The topic is only indirectly related to the justice portfolio he’s been handed.

But it’s also the kind of issue that resonates in Brussels, as Malta’s Roberta Metsola discovered when her longstanding opposition to abortion nearly stymied her bid to become European Parliament President in 2022.

Gerardo Fortuna contributed reporting. 

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Map: 6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Off Mexico’s Coast

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Map: 6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Off Mexico’s Coast

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Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Mountain time. The New York Times

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A strong, 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf of California on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 1:45 p.m. Mountain time about 47 miles southwest of El Progreso, Mexico, data from the agency shows.

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As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

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Aftershocks detected

Subsequent quakes have been reported in the same area. Such temblors are typically aftershocks caused by minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.

Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles

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Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.

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When quakes and aftershocks occurred

 All times are Mountain time. The New York Times

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Sources: United States Geological Survey (epicenter, aftershocks, shake intensity); LandScan via Oak Ridge National Laboratory (population density) | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Mountain time. Shake data is as of Tuesday, June 30 at 2:02 p.m. Mountain time. Aftershocks data is as of Tuesday, June 30 at 6:01 p.m. Mountain time.

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Boy, 2, pulled alive from rubble six days after Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes

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Boy, 2, pulled alive from rubble six days after Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes

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Emergency workers in Venezuela on Tuesday rescued a 2-year-old boy who had been trapped beneath the rubble for six days, marking the only reported rescue of a survivor on the sixth day of operations following last week’s devastating earthquakes.

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez said in a Telegram post that Jordanian emergency workers pulled the child from a collapsed building in La Guaira, an area hit the hardest by last week’s earthquakes.

The child, identified by authorities as Klieber Moran, was rescued after spending six days trapped beneath the rubble, Rodríguez said.

Moran was taken to a hospital for treatment, she added.

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLEDGES $150M IN AID, DEPLOYS NAVY WARSHIPS AFTER DEADLY VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES

A Jordanian team works to rescue a child trapped under rubble following earthquakes in Venezuela, in a location given as Caracas, Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)

National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said in a televised address Tuesday that officials remain hopeful more survivors will be found.

“We ⁠must hold onto the hope of continuing to find people alive beneath the rubble,” Jorge said. “Early this morning, a 2-year-old boy was rescued and is currently ​receiving care at ​a health ⁠center in Caracas.”

Rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast last Wednesday.

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DEATH TOLL FROM VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES RISES TO AT LEAST 235, WITH THOUSANDS REPORTED MISSING

Emergency workers rescued a 2-year-old boy after he spent six days trapped beneath the rubble following last week’s earthquakes in Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)

The death toll from the twin earthquakes rose to 1,943 on Tuesday, with more than 10,500 people injured, according to Venezuelan officials. On Monday, the death toll stood at 1,719.

Tuesday’s rescue marked another glimmer of hope amid the disaster that has devastated the South American country.

On Saturday, the U.S. State Department shared video showing American search-and-rescue teams pulling an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela.

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EX-MLB PLAYER SAYS WIFE DIED IN DEVASTATING VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES

A child receives emergency medical attention after being rescued by a Jordanian team from under rubble following earthquakes in Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)

The infant, who is 9 months old, was rescued along with her mother, the State Department told Fox News Digital. Both suffered only minor injuries, according to the rescue team.

“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the State Department posted on X.

On Tuesday, a shipment from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) containing 47 metric tons of humanitarian supplies arrived in Venezuela.

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FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION

Emergency workers rescued 2-year-old Klieber Moran from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela six days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, according to Venezuelan officials. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)

The shipment includes emergency health kits for urgent medical care, including supplies for safe births, newborn care, disease prevention and treatment, according to the United Nations.

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.

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According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, made up of firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists, and deployed with more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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World’s oceans experience hottest June ever, scientists say more heat ahead

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World’s oceans experience hottest June ever, scientists say more heat ahead

European Union monitors say the first half of 2026 was ‘marked by sustained and exceptional ocean warmth’ and forecast more to come.

The world’s oceans experienced their “warmest June ever observed” and could see further record-breaking highs in the months ahead as El Niño and climate change push temperatures higher, according to a new report.

The European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said on Wednesday that “record global sea surface temperatures” of 21.0 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in June beat the previous records in the same month in 2023 and 2024.

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“The first six months of 2026 were characterised by persistently elevated sea-surface temperatures and widespread marine heatwaves across much of the global ocean,” the EU’s marine environment monitor said in a statement.

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“Marine heatwaves expanded steadily throughout the period, ultimately affecting around 82 percent of the global ocean,” said Simon van Gennip, lead oceanographer for the Copernicus Marine Service.

“The Mediterranean, the central North Atlantic and the equatorial Pacific all emerged as hotspots, and these regional signals paint a consistent picture of an ocean under sustained thermal stress,” Van Gennip said in a statement.

The onset of a potentially powerful El Nino weather pattern could boost global heat in the oceans and atmosphere even further in 2026, and into next year, according to scientists.

“Current conditions could indicate the beginning of a new phase, leading, once more, to uncharted territory,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the EU’s climate monitor.

“With ocean temperatures at these levels and El Nino on the horizon, we are likely to see more temperature records fall in the coming months,” Buontempo said in a statement.

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El Nino is marked by unusually warm waters in parts of the Pacific Ocean, releasing more heat into the atmosphere and influencing wind, cloud and weather patterns around the globe. This can raise the risk of weather extremes, ranging from floods in Peru to droughts in parts of Africa and wildfires in Australia.

Land and sea temperatures reached an all-time high in 2024 at the tail end of the last El Nino, and 2026 could be among the warmest years recorded with the onset of the next El Nino this year.

The Copernicus report follows a warning issued in a major UN scientific assessment last month, which declared that the world’s oceans were in a “deepening crisis” as seas were warming and rising faster.

Oceans are a key regulator of Earth’s climate because they absorb some 90 percent of the excess heat caused by humanity’s release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.

Warmer oceans increase moisture in the atmosphere, providing fuel for tropical cyclones and destructive rainfall.

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Hotter seas also directly contribute to sea-level rise – water expands when it warms up – and create unbearable conditions for tropical reefs, whose corals can bleach and die during prolonged marine heatwaves.

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