Latest news with #Texan
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Temu shoppers warned of 'high risk' illegal products being sold on site
The European Commission say there is a "high risk" that EU consumers could come across illegal products being sold on the shopping giant's website Online shopping platform Temu has come under fire from the European Commission for not doing enough to assess the risks of illegal products being sold, potentially breaching new EU digital services laws. The commission made an announcement on July 28, highlighting a "high risk" for EU consumers to encounter illegal goods on the shopping platform's website. Specifically a mystery shopping exercise conducted by the commission revealed that consumers browsing Temu were highly likely to come across non-compliant items, including baby toys and small electronics. This revelation is part of an investigation into the retail behemoth as per the Digital Services Act (DSA), which is new legislation governing online content throughout the European Union. The DSA requires companies running online platforms like e-commerce sites to assess the likelihood of consumers encountering hazardous or illegal goods and to take action to mitigate the risk. The commission pointed out that, according to a risk assessment carried out by Temu, owned by PDD Holdings, in October, 2024, the findings were "inaccurate" and "relying on general industry information rather than on specific details about its own marketplace". Henna Virkkunen, executive Vice President for 'tech sovereignty, security and democracy', has issued a stark warning: "We shop online because we trust that products sold in our Single Market are safe and comply with our rules". "In our preliminary view, Temu is far from assessing risks for its users at the standards required by the Digital Services Act. Consumers' safety online is not negotiable in the EU – our laws, including the Digital Services Act, are the foundation for a better protection online and a safer and fairer digital Single Market for all Europeans," reported MyLondon. Although the report targets EU residents, there have been numerous instances of consumers elsewhere receiving incorrect or potentially dangerous items from online marketplaces like Temu. The Mirror highlighted the plight of a Texan who ordered a dog toy online but was sent packs of Sacred Lotus seeds instead, which are considered a biohazard in some US regions. The company could face fines of up to six percent of its annual global turnover if the commission finds its risk assessment doesn't meet DSA standards. The commission also disclosed that it would continue to scrutinise the firm for other possible breaches of the DSA, such as using addictive design features and a lack of transparency about its algorithms. The EU is striving to address what it views as an influx of cheap and potentially hazardous goods from China flooding the single market. Authorities also issued a formal warning to Shein in May, stating that the company's marketing practices violated EU consumer protection laws.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
4 States Where Home Prices Are Expected To Crash in the Next 12 Months
For anyone following along, the housing market has seen some ups and downs in recent years. While it's impossible to predict the future, many experts expect the home prices to fall in several states over the next 12 months. Explore More: Find Out: This guide explores which states are expected to see dramatic drops in home sale prices based on these market predictions from Forbes. Florida Home prices are falling in some cities across Florida. Cape Coral, located in southwest Florida, stands out for some of the most dramatic drops. A recent report from The Wall Street Journal found that home prices in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area have dropped by over 11% in the last few years. Homes in the area are sitting on the market for extended periods of time, which is pushing prices lower. Additionally, almost 8% of Cape Coral homeowners owe more than their homes are worth, all setting the stage for a potential housing crash in the area. Other cities in Florida seeing home prices fall quickly include North Port, Tampa, Jacksonville, Palm Bay and Deltona, according to Newsweek. Beyond individual cities in the Sunshine State, plummeting condo prices have rocked the real estate world in the coastal regions of the state, particularly in South Florida, per Tampa Bay Times. After the tragic Surfside condo collapse, the state increased safety regulation and inspection requirements, which added up to extra costs for condo owners. As the costs of ownership skyrocketed, many owners tried to sell out, essentially flooding the condo market and leading to falling condo prices across the state. Texas The Lone Star State is seeing home prices fall, which could represent the beginning stages of a crash. With home prices dropping in major Texan cities, including Austin and Dallas, rising inventory is contributing to falling prices, according to Zillow. California California home prices are slipping, but not by much. As of writing, the average home value in California is $786,107, which is down by 0.6% from last year, per Zillow. But with home sales in the state already down 37% from their pandemic peak, according to Newsweek, it's unclear how far California home sales can fall. North Carolina North Carolina has seen home values fall around the state, particularly in more populous cities, like Charlotte and Raleigh. Across the state, home values are down by 0.6% in the last year. But in Raleigh, the downside has been significantly larger, with average home values down by 2.2% in the last year. What This Means for You A potent combination of high interest rates and growing inventory in these once-hot markets is forcing a cool down. For sellers, this could mean getting less value out of their home. For buyers, it could represent an opportunity to move forward on a home purchase. As you consider a home purchase, keeping an eye on market factors can be helpful. But before purchasing a home, the most important thing is that your financial situation is in the right position for homeownership. If it's not, even a market downturn might not mean it's time for you to purchase a home. Instead, you might need to take time building up your financial situation before jumping into a home purchase. Takeaway Many factors contribute to falling home values across the country. As the housing market cools from a hot seller's market into a buyer's market, home values are also sliding. But not all housing markets across the country are being impacted equally. Specifically, housing markets in the South and West seem to be losing steam while those in the Northeast and Midwest seem to be ticking along with modestly rising property values. More From GOBankingRates 3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025 7 Luxury SUVs That Will Become Affordable in 2025 I'm a Retired Boomer: 6 Bills I Canceled This Year That Were a Waste of Money This article originally appeared on 4 States Where Home Prices Are Expected To Crash in the Next 12 Months Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jaworski promises to replace ‘voter suppression' with enhancement division in campaign for attorney general
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski said Texas needs an attorney general focused on protecting consumers and expanding voting access rather than serving as what he called 'a consigliere for the Republican reelection machine.' Jaworski, making his second bid for the Democratic nomination after losing the 2022 runoff, outlined an agenda centered on election reform and corporate accountability. The centerpiece of his platform involves creating a 'voter enhancement division' to reverse what he described as Attorney General Ken Paxton's efforts to make voting intimidating for ordinary Texans. 'Ken Paxton has frankly succeeded in making voting a white knuckle affair,' Jaworski said. 'People are scared, they're worried, do I do it wrong? Will I be indicted? Actually, we need to make voting easy again.' Jaworski cited his son's experience as an out-of-state college student whose ballot was rejected over signature discrepancies as an example of unnecessary obstacles facing voters. 'Children these days are working on computers rather than practicing penmanship,' he said. 'You go to the grocery store, sometimes you have to sign for the credit card, and a dash would suffice, but somehow there are people who are canceling votes because the signature's not perfect.' His proposed reforms include enforcing an existing law requiring high school principals to register eligible 18-year-olds and investigating efforts to suppress voting rather than facilitate it. Drawing on 35 years as a trial attorney and his tenure as Galveston's mayor, Jaworski positioned himself as an outsider candidate against state Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, in the Democratic primary. 'I'm an attorney by day and a husband, a father, and a Texan 24/7, and so I am not coming from this as a political advancement,' he said, contrasting his background with 'longtime office holders.' Jaworski said the attorney general's office offers unique opportunities to 'affect policy in the courts' and provide sound legal counsel to state government. Beyond election law, he pledged to refocus the office on consumer protection, targeting what he sees as corporate greed regardless of party lines. He also promised day-one transparency measures to assess damage from the Paxton era. Since his 2022 loss, Jaworski has maintained visibility through a radio show and newspaper opinion pieces while building what he hopes will be a stronger campaign organization. The Democratic primary for attorney general will be held March 3, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler ally insists he'll never be the same as Tiger Woods because he's missing one thing
Jordan Spieth insists Scottie Scheffler will never be the same as Tiger Woods. The World No.1 is racking-up milestones to match the 15-times major winner and drawing big comparisons from his peers. Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry were amongst those who talked about the historical context and sizzling nature of Scheffler's blistering current run. READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler kills Rory McIlroy battle cry stone dead as world's best brutally underlines his brilliance READ MORE: Ianis Hagi shows true colours as Rangers hero gives ex SPFL rival priceless words of advice after box office transfer The 29-year-old was quick to cast aside any Woods comparisons in the wake of his Royal Portrush romp and Spieth has given an astounding insight into the mindset of golf's king. Spieth says his fellow Texan's his very differing traits and explained: "I think more so maybe it's less the golf swing and maybe more of his personality. He doesn't care to be a superstar. He's not transcending the game like Tiger did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience necessarily. 'He doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us go do, corporately, anything like that. He just wants to get away from the game and separate the two because I know at one time, he felt it was too much, that he was taking it with him and, whenever he made that switch, I don't know what it was, but he has hobbies. 'He's always with his family. They're always doing stuff. I think it's more so the difference in personality from any other superstar that you've seen in the modern era and maybe in any sport. I don't think anybody is like him. 'He has that unique ability, from best I can tell, to separate. But again, when I see him, I'm at the golf course. I see him here and there off the course, but when we're playing on the course at home, he sh*t talks. He's very witty. You can't really go at him because he's smart and he's got good bulls***. 'I mean, it's not necessarily just to me. It's normally the other people that we're playing with. But not that I want to say it, I'm not going to quote him on that kind of stuff. 'But then when a tournament starts, he's incredibly competitive, as you see. He's kind of plotting along. You won't see that much emotion as he continues to strike it like this because the only time you're going to see it is when he's on the greens if he misses putts because he's not missing many shots. 'I wouldn't necessarily think that the golf swing makes as much of a difference as the personality match. I'm thinking about so many other sports. Nikola Jokic is the only guy I can think of that's a superstar that's equally unassuming in any sport in the modern era and I'm happy if anybody else can find another example, but it's very rare. Most people lean into it and take advantage of it. 'Roger Federer, he's maybe the same kind of demeanor and person. As a person he's different, but he made more off the court than he did on all the time and he cared to. When Scottie is done playing, he's not going to show back up at tournaments. I can promise you that.' Spieth and Scheffler came up through the ranks at roughly the same time in Texas and the 2017 Open champion, who will go back to the scene of his Birkdale triumph next year, said: 'Obviously he won a US Junior, like he was a great junior, but I think maybe after the Ryder Cup, watching him when he beat Jon [Rahm] and then when he came and won in that playoff in Phoenix, it's like, now he knows he didn't have to do anything different and he's good enough to win any week. 'He's obviously well-deserving of it, probably the most deserving player of it {The Open]. And I've thought the way that his game is the last few years, the harder the conditions, the better for him over here. "If there's ever a chance for someone to take him down, it's when it's benign. But he's been putting so well, I have a hard time thinking anybody else would get it done.'
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Trump quietly renews Chevron's license in Venezuela, marking shift in U.S. policy
In a marked shift in U.S. policy toward Venezuela, the Trump administration has quietly approved a new license allowing oil giant Chevron to restart its operations in the South American nation, according to sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The decision this week represents a departure from earlier hard-line measures and suggests a recalibration aimed at balancing energy interests with ongoing foreign policy challenges involving the Nicolás Maduro regime. The new arrangement, described by sources as a 'specific license' rather than a general one, allows Chevron to resume more regular activity with Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA. Under the framework, Chevron will reportedly pay the Maduro regime in barrels of oil rather than in cash — a shift that may give Caracas some latitude to commercialize its resources amid continued international sanctions. Sources say that one significant distinction between a specific license and a general one is that the former can be issued privately while the latter is granted is such a way that it is there for the public to see. 'They made it a specific license instead of a general license like the last one,' said a person briefed on the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Negotiations were held in Caracas yesterday negotiating some changes to the contract with PDVSA.' Asked about the new license, the State Department said it was only issued for Chevron's maintenance purposes and to create the conditions for the regime to repay the huge debt that it owes the Texas-based oil company, but that it would not aim to provide Maduro any type of financial relief. 'While we cannot speak to any specific licenses, the U.S. government will not allow the Maduro regime to profit from the sale of oil,' the State Department told the Miami Herald in an email. Experts, however, said it was hard to see how the Caracas regime would not benefit financially under the new arrangement. Venezuela's debt to Chevron had been estimated in around $3 billion before the amount was reduced following the Biden administration's decision to grant the Texan oil company a license to operate in the country. That license was revoked by the Trump administration earlier this year in a move that took effect in May and that significantly disrupted the finances of the socialist regime. Chevron was responsible for roughly a quarter of Venezuela's oil output, which earlier this year stood around 900,000 barrels per day. Other international energy companies—Spain's Repsol, Italy's Eni, France's Maurel & Prom, and India's Reliance Industries—were also affected by the U.S. restrictions. Collectively, those firms accounted for another 230,000 barrels per day of production. Chevron and the other companies have played a central role in Venezuela's efforts to recover from the near-collapse of its oil industry, which once produced 3.2 million barrels per day before declining to just 400,000 barrels per day in 2020. Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, just ahead of Saudi Arabia. Estimates from industry analysts prior to the license suspensions suggested that foreign companies were providing the Maduro government with an average of $700 million to $800 million per month. While official U.S. policy continues to call for democratic reforms in Venezuela, the quiet reauthorization of Chevron's operations indicates a more pragmatic approach in dealings with Caracas. Sources say U.S. officials have engaged in direct negotiations with high-ranking Venezuelan figures, including National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez. Back channel talks reportedly remain active, involving U.S. diplomats based in Bogotá and senior Venezuelan officials. These conversations have included proposals to restore diplomatic presence by reopening embassies in Washington and Caracas, although no official announcements have been made. The policy shift also reflects evolving dynamics within the Trump administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a long-time critic of Maduro, is now seen as playing a central role in shaping the administration's Venezuela strategy, while former special envoy Richard Grenell appears to have taken a back seat. 'The State Department or National Security Council is calling the shots now,' said the source, who asked to remain anonymous in order to speak freely. While Rubio has historically supported a tough stance against authoritarian governments in the region, his involvement in the Chevron licensing process suggests that broader U.S. strategic interests—particularly energy security—are now taking precedence. Industry observers note that despite efforts to keep the new license quiet, public disclosure may be inevitable as Chevron's oil begins to reenter Gulf Coast refineries. 'You can't keep it under wraps too long,' the source said. 'Eventually, the oil is going to look for passage through the Gulf to refineries in the U.S.' Chevron has operated in Venezuela for nearly a century and was the last major American energy firm to maintain a presence in the country amid sweeping sanctions. Its continued presence has long served as an indicator of U.S. policy direction. While the license renewal may open the door for other companies to explore similar arrangements, it also raises questions among Venezuelan opposition leaders and human rights groups concerned that any form of normalization with Maduro could weaken efforts to restore democratic governance. For now, the resumption of Chevron's operations marks a potentially significant turning point in U.S.-Venezuela relations — one that could reshape diplomatic, economic and political dynamics in the region.
