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EU should not 'lower the bar' to take in Ukraine, says Denmark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

Denmark supports EU membership for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the western Balkans but "geopolitical circumstances" did not justify skating over governance reforms, Finance Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (pictured) told the Financial Times on Thursday (29 June).The EU risks "importing instability" if it relaxes its standards on democracy and corruption to hasten the accession of Ukraine and other candidate countries, Rasmussen said in an interview with the newspaper.To join the EU, a country has to align its laws with many EU standards ranging from climate to labour. That process usually takes many years.When asked about Ukraine's membership in the EU, Rasmussen said that EU shouldn't "lower the bar" but instead help Ukraine with investments and assistance, the FT reported.Although Ukraine met two out of seven conditions to launch the EU membership process, an EU official familiar with the bloc's recommendations to Ukraine said that some key judicial reforms were needed.In 2019, th...

Miss Manners: I want to ditch a wedding planner who is proposing horrifying activities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am planning my wedding, but feel stuck on two points.Point 1: How can I politely express to a vendor that I am no longer interested in their services? Do I need to give a reason, if I have been corresponding with them for some time?Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: I thought it was inappropriate for her to skip the funeral and show up for the food Advice | Miss Manners: I told the subway rider he was rude, and he got huffy Advice | Miss Manners: Why do they ask such questions about my groceries? Advice | Miss Manners: The bride isn’t friendly, plus I know she’s already married. Must I go to her wedding? Advice | Miss Manners: Am I right that it’s disgusting to put eyeglasses on a kitchen counter? The vendor in question has expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for those silly fluff activities common to weddings today, up to and (rather egregiously) including the...

Dear Abby: I can’t even play with cats correctly

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I am a 29-year-old housewife with a loving husband, a caring mother and equally supportive in-laws. I’m writing because I feel useless.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I prevailed in the dispute but it split our friend group Advice | 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 I don’t even have a hobby I’m good at. Although I like to play music, draw and play with cats, I don’t think I’m good at any of them, despite others telling me otherwise.My friends and family are better off than I am. My friend is participating in a skating competition, my brother is working toward be...

‘We’re doing it responsibly’: Gov. Moore on Maryland recreational weed legalization

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said weed legalization is what the people wanted on the DMV Download podcast. (WTOP/Luke Garrett) Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said weed legalization is what the people wanted on the DMV Download podcast. (WTOP/Luke Garrett) On July 1, Maryland will become the first jurisdiction in the D.C. region where adults 21 and older can buy weed for recreational use from a legal retail market.During a sit-down interview with WTOP’s DMV Download podcast, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said making recreational cannabis legal and creating a functioning market is what people wanted.“I’m just glad I didn’t have to run against cannabis because their margin was a lot bigger than ours,” Moo...

Vehicles searches, field sobriety tests: What marijuana legalization in Md. means for public safety

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

(new Image()).src = "https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384&cid=c2ffed0c-3624-46c0-b10f-97c976d290a3";cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384",mediaId: "159fa98a-4b9d-4563-8fba-fd5b43dfa671"}).render("e88a8f81080c4f51a4dbafae7c84e94c"); });The legalization of marijuana and marijuana-related products on July 1 will change a lot around the state of Maryland. But even as laws are changing, using marijuana the wrong way will still have consequences.Public safety leaders are warning people not to get the wrong impression about what is and isn’t allowed, even though one of the new laws taking effect limits what police can consider to search a vehicle for criminal conduct.Starting July 1, the odor of marijuana will no longer be enough of a reason for a police officer to stop a person or vehicle and conduct a search — a measure that got pushback from law enforcement agencies when lawmakers were debati...

EU leaders resume migration talks but Poland and Hungary’s governments slow progress

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders opened a second day of migration talks Friday as Poland and Hungary continued to block progress after they were outvoted earlier this month on a plan to share refugees arriving in Europe among the 27 member countries.Some leaders said that Poland and Hungary seemed to be fighting a battle started years ago, when well over 1 million migrants entered Europe, most of them refugees fleeing Syria, in 2015 and sparked one of the bloc’s biggest crises. Others said the two simply must not be permitted to break EU rules.“My feeling was there’s a lot of bitterness about the debates on migration from 2015,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told reporters at EU headquarters in Brussels. “If you just say no to everything and everybody else tries to compromise that doesn’t really work out.”Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said that “Hungary was totally adamant” about having the issue removed altogether from the leader’s final summit commu...

DC area’s poor air quality persists Friday, PM storms could help clear the haze

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

A smoky haze blanketed the D.C. area June 8, 2023. The smoke prompted air quality alerts. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez) A smoky haze blanketed the D.C. area June 8, 2023. The smoke prompted air quality alerts. (WTOP/Alejandro Alvarez) Listen to WTOP for weather updates on the 8s.A “Code Red” air quality alert persists in the D.C. area early Friday, meaning smoke from the Canadian wildfires is continuing to make the air unhealthy for everyone in the national capital region.Under the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow rating system, sensitive groups including children, older adults and anyone with heart or lung disease should avoid long or intense outdoor activities during a “Code Red”...

Fairfax Co. committee updates recommended changes for coed sex education lessons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

Fairfax County Public Schools is expected to resume discussing possible changes to its sex education curriculum in the fall, after the Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee revised its recommendations for coed instruction in the Virginia school system.In its latest report, the committee, made up of school board appointees, teachers, students and members from the health department, recommends gender combined instruction in fifth grade. In its recommendations from the 2021-22 school year, the committee recommended combined instruction in the Human Growth and Development unit in fourth through eighth grades.This year, the group is recommending classes separated by gender for the fourth grade lesson on puberty, which it says is the only lesson in fourth grade. In fifth grade, the committee recommends separate classes for lessons on puberty, the reproductive system and human reproduction, and gender-combined instruction for lessons on abstinence and sexually transmitted inf...

Incautan un semisumergible con más de 3,5 toneladas de “presunta cocaína” en el océano Pacífico en México

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

(CNN en Español) — La Marina de México aseguró un semisumergible que llevaba más de tres toneladas de “presunta cocaína” a bordo, informó este jueves la institución, que agregó que están detenidas cinco personas de distintas nacionalidades.Se trata de una embarcación de 26 metros de longitud, con dos motores internos, una velocidad promedio de ocho nudos y una autonomía de 20 días, según la Marina. La embarcación fue asegurada el 27 de junio.Narco-toallitas para bebés: incautan cargamento de cocaína por US$ 11,8 millones en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y MéxicoUn semisumergible fue incautado en el Pacífico de México con 3,5 toneladas de “presunta cocaína”, indicó la SEMAR. (Crédito: SEMAR)Según el comunicado, tanto los detenidos —cuyas nacionalidades ni  fueronDestacaron que es la primera embarcación de este tipo que se asegura en lo que va de 2023 y la de mayor dimensión y capacidad de carga que se ha asegurado en México en el gobierno actual.Según...

Move over ‘Hamilton,’ it’s time for a fresh take on ‘1776’ at DC’s Kennedy Center

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:02:04 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews '1776' at the Kennedy Center $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Are you hoping to make this a four-day weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July?Check out the musical revival of “1776” at the Kennedy Center now through July 16.“Getting to perform ‘1776,’ a musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the forming of a nation, to perf...