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The EU’s chemical strategy, unveiled in 2020, included pledges to “ban [non-essential uses] of the most harmful chemicals in consumer products” such as toys, babies’ nappies, cosmetics, detergents, food packaging and textiles. “It is especially important to stop using the most harmful chemicals in consumer products, from toys and child care products to textiles and materials that come in contact with our food,” said EU Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans back in 2020. “Our health should always come first,” said EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides also said — three years ago. But internal documents have shown these commitments are unlikely...

The American Dream is alive and well for most, but the younger generation and less educated do not share such optimism, according to a new poll conducted by NORC – University of Chicago. In a survey of 2,187 of U.S. residents – regardless of age, race, ethnicity, income, or education – a whopping 75% of respondents said they had achieved or are on their way to obtaining the American Dream, namely economic opportunity and freedom of choice.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) revealed in a new interview that despite several attempts, he was unable to reach then-President Trump as rioters were storming the Capitol on Jan. 6. Christie told Mike Allen during an interview for “Axios on HBO” that he tried calling Trump through three different channels on Jan. 6, but all were unsuccessful. He said he wanted to “give him advice on what I thought he needed to be doing to stop the violence.”

A group of New Jersey teachers is speaking out after being alarmed by a teachers union training that instructs them to log conversations with parents and students about the COVID-19 vaccine into a progressive campaign app used by "Squad" queen Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The National Educators Association (NEA) has been instructing teachers to upload their conversations with pupils and parents into the progressive campaign app Reach, the teachers say.

  Today, Second Lady Karen Pence participated in the launch of the PREVENTS National Health Campaign called REACH at the National Press Club. Mrs. Pence gave remarks to PREVENTS Taskforce members and leaders from veteran service organizations. As the Lead Ambassador for PREVENTS, she emphasized the need to address suicide and measures we can take to prevent it as well as the need to focus on one’s mental health and emotional well-being.“Working together, we can implement the PREVENTS roadmap and end the national tragedy of suicide,” said Second Lady Karen Pence. “Experts say suicide is preventable and we can all play a role in helping...

On our campaign, we talk all the time about meeting people where they are at. Many of the approaches we use — door knocking, phonebanking, texting — don’t do that for everyone. There are a set of voters we’ll never reach through those methods. We need a way to bridge this gap. We need a way to turn every day conversations into real data to help us build our universe of supporters to turn out on election day. That’s where Reach comes in. Reach is a new type of canvassing tool. Now from any of your spontaneous interactions (at the...

Chemical industry lobbyists have stepped up their criticism of Europe’s REACH chemical safety regulation, branding the law “a monster” that “will devour” the industry’s ability to innovate. Policymakers should set “tangible” regulatory burden reduction targets to unleash the innovation potential of Europe’s chemical companies, industry body CEFIC said in a statement released today (29 April). […] In the industry’s firing line is the REACH regulation, which requires manufacturers to register thousands of chemicals currently on the market and submit them for safety screening and subsequent authorization. […] (CEFIC Vice President Tony) Bastock complained in particular that chemical companies were now...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers inched towards approving a second bailout for debt-laden Greece on Monday that would resolve Athens' immediate repayment needs but seems unlikely to revive the nation's shattered economy. Agreement on a 130-billion-euro rescue package on strict conditions would draw a line under months of uncertainty that has shaken the currency bloc, and avert imminent bankrupcty. As the ministers met, officials were struggling to make the numbers add up. EU sources said they had to cut a further 6 billion euros, via various means, to make the financing work, and private investors might have to...

March disaster debris may reach Hawaii next year US researchers say some of the huge amount of debris that has been drifting in the Pacific Ocean as a result of Japan's disaster in March may reach Hawaii next year. Nikolai Maximenko, senior researcher at the University of Hawaii's International Pacific Research Center, says a huge amount of debris was spotted by a Russian training ship heading for Vladivostok from Hawaii in late September. The debris was found in a wide area in the northern Pacific Ocean about 3,200 kilometers east of Japan and about 900 kilometers west of the Midway...

An underground gay group in the military wants recruiters to reach out to the gay community in the same way they target blacks, Hispanics and women. The Pentagon’s ban on openly gays members is due to be lifted Sept. 20, meaning avowed gay people can sign up, those in the ranks can come out of the closet and the military will no longer discharge personnel because of sexual preference. What is unclear is the number of post-ban policies that might be adopted to meet the demands of gays and ease integration of different sexual identities. The group OutServe, which claims...

March 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. and Russian negotiators have reached agreement on all elements of a nuclear arms reduction treaty, a Kremlin official said. Prague is the most likely site for a signing ceremony, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with Kremlin policy. Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will determine the time and place for the signing, the official said in a telephone interview today. In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the two sides are “very close” on terms for a replacement for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expired in December.

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2009 – During Women’s History Month, many Americans take time to salute the contributions of women. Manhattanville My Soldier, a New York-based troop-support group, is paying special attention this month to women serving in the U.S. armed forces. “The military women I met while serving in Iraq were courageous and kind,” My Soldier co-founder Juan Salas, an active-duty Army sergeant and Manhattanville College student, said. “We are asking civilians to pay respect to these brave women during Women’s History Month.” In observance of Women’s History Month, the group has created “My Soldier: Her Story,” a program that...

After months of buildup, lawmakers may finally begin the debate this week on how to provide health coverage to an estimated 6.5 million uninsured Californians. Californians could learn more about the potential costs and details of Democratic leaders' competing bills, which are the most likely vehicles if major changes are to be enacted this year. But among all the weighty issues, the basic debate could come down to how much health coverage a person really needs. At the very least, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- whose own sweeping proposal has yet to be written into any bill -- would like to...

SACRAMENTO - Giving an election-year boost to millions of lower-income Californians, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats reached a deal Thursday that will require prescription drug companies to offer set discounts for medications or face possible sanctions. The California Prescription Drug Initiative will give discounts of about 40 percent for name-brand drugs and 60 percent for generics to people who otherwise would have to pay full retail price. The enrollment fee will be $10 a year. The plan, announced earlier this week but formally approved Thursday, will affect more than 5 million uninsured, lower-income individuals, Schwarzenegger said in a statement....

RAMADI, Iraq (Army News Service, Aug. 22, 2006) – A record-setting 395 Iraqis answered the call at a recent recruiting drive for Iraqi police in Ramadi. The recruiting drives are jointly hosted by the Iraqi army, Iraqi police, and units of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division. “The tremendous success of the August recruiting drive demonstrates that the people of Ramadi are committed to their own security. We have rounded a corner in creating a stable and secure Ramadi,” said Lt. Col. James Lechner, deputy commander of the 1st AD’s 1st Bde. To join the Iraqi police, recruits must pass...

JERUSALEM - Israeli army units reached the Litani River on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the government ordered an operation to march toward the river in a final push against entrenched Hezbollah guerrillas, Israel Radio reported. The units were part of a massive force that flooded into Lebanon, trying to seize as much territory as possible before a U.N. cease-fire comes into effect. The objective was to control southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, about 18 miles from the Israeli border, before handing over the area to the Lebanese army and U.N. troops. Meanwhile, both sides in the...

U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Kevin Kumpf American College Musicians Reach Out to Iraqi Military Band By Norris JonesGulf Region Central DistrictUS Army Corps of Engineers BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 25, 2006 — The Iraqi army’s military band located north of Baghdad in Taji is hearing a symphony of support from musicians throughout America thanks to the efforts of a U.S. Navy sailor. Chief Petty Officer Kevin Kumpf said shortly after arriving in Taji he received a personal appeal from Iraqi Base Commander Col. Alaa about specific equipment needs his military band had. Kumpf, non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the U.S. Army...

5/15/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Battlefield awareness has reached new levels with Global Hawk production-model aircraft flying in the U.S. Central Command Air Forces theater. Reaching a breakthrough point in April, the Global Hawk team has maximized the aircraft’s sorties, collecting more than 96 percent of the target area -- nearly 5,000 images of enemy locations, resources and personnel. The Global Hawk, surveying large geographic areas with pinpoint accuracy and giving military commanders near real-time information, has proven its worth in recent operations, said Capt. Ty Gilbert, senior intelligence duty officer at the combined air operations center, or CAOC,...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Iran has received a first shipment of missiles from North Korea that are capable of reaching Europe, Israel's military intelligence chief was quoted on Thursday as saying. Known in the West as BM-25s, the Russian-designed missiles have a range of around 2,500 km (1,500 miles), giving them a longer reach than the Iranian-made Shihab-4 missiles which are capable of hitting Israel. The intelligence chief, Major-General Amos Yadlin, was quoted by Israel's Haaretz newspaper as saying in a lecture on Wednesday that some BM-25s had arrived in Iran. The BM-25 was originally manufactured in the Soviet Union, where...

1/27/2006 - KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- For an aircraft to achieve hypersonic speeds, ranging from 6,000 to 15,000 mph (Mach 9 to Mach 22), and reach altitudes between 100,000 to 150,000 feet, it needs an airframe structure designed to survive intense heat and pressure. Such technology is in development by scientists and engineers with the Falcon hypersonic technology vehicle, or HTV, program. Started in 2003, the joint Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency endeavor consists of two objectives: to develop hypersonic technology for a glided or powered system and advance small, low-cost and responsive launch...