logo
Trump organisation plans to build tower block in Romanian capital

Trump organisation plans to build tower block in Romanian capital

Hindustan Times2 days ago
The Trump Organization - U.S. President Donald Trump's family business - will team up with Romanian real estate developer SDC Imobiliare to build a tower block with luxury apartments in the capital Bucharest, the companies said. Trump Tower Bucharest will be developed in the heart of Romania's capital(Bloomberg)
"Trump Tower Bucharest will be developed in the heart of Romania's capital, one of Europe's most vibrant and dynamic emerging markets, bringing premium residences under the Trump brand to the region," the companies said in a statement.
They did not specify the location or start date for work on the tower block, which is being branded as luxury residential apartments in Romania, the region's second-biggest economy.
Romania's economy stalled in the first quarter amid a drawn-out political crisis and worries about a potential downturn, underperforming most of its peers in central and eastern Europe.
Romania, a European Union and NATO member state, has found itself at the centre of a dispute between Europe and the Trump administration over democratic principles after the constitutional court in December cancelled an ongoing presidential vote due to suspicions of Russian meddling, denied by Moscow. U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said Romania's decision to cancel the election in which a far-right, pro-Russian candidate was the frontrunner based on what he called "flimsy evidence" meant Bucharest did not share American values.
The country re-ran its presidential ballot in May and centrist President Nicusor Dan won, with Trump later congratulating him on his victory.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Two-thirds of the Department of Justice unit defending Trump's policies in court have quit
Two-thirds of the Department of Justice unit defending Trump's policies in court have quit

Time of India

time39 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Two-thirds of the Department of Justice unit defending Trump's policies in court have quit

The U.S. Justice Department unit charged with defending against legal challenges to signature Trump administration policies - such as restricting birthright citizenship and slashing funding to Harvard University - has lost nearly two-thirds of its staff, according to a list seen by Reuters. Sixty-nine of the roughly 110 lawyers in the Federal Programs Branch have voluntarily left the unit since President Donald Trump's election in November or have announced plans to leave, according to the list compiled by former Justice Department lawyers and reviewed by Reuters. The tally has not been previously reported. Using court records and LinkedIn accounts, Reuters was able to verify the departure of all but four names on the list. Reuters spoke to four former lawyers in the unit and three other people familiar with the departures who said some staffers had grown demoralized and exhausted defending an onslaught of lawsuits against Trump's administration. "Many of these people came to work at Federal Programs to defend aspects of our constitutional system," said one lawyer who left the unit during Trump's second term. "How could they participate in the project of tearing it down?" by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Saidpur: 1 Trick to Reduce Belly Fat? Home Fitness Hack Shop Now Undo Critics have accused the Trump administration of flouting the law in its aggressive use of executive power, including by retaliating against perceived enemies and dismantling agencies created by Congress. The Trump administration has broadly defended its actions as within the legal bounds of presidential power and has won several early victories at the Supreme Court . A White House spokesperson told Reuters that Trump's actions were legal, and declined to comment on the departures. Live Events "Any sanctimonious career bureaucrat expressing faux outrage over the President's policies while sitting idly by during the rank weaponization by the previous administration has no grounds to stand on," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement. The seven lawyers who spoke with Reuters cited a punishing workload and the need to defend policies that some felt were not legally justifiable among the key reasons for the wave of departures. Three of them said some career lawyers feared they would be pressured to misrepresent facts or legal issues in court, a violation of ethics rules that could lead to professional sanctions. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal dynamics and avoid retaliation. A Justice Department spokesperson said lawyers in the unit are fighting an "unprecedented number of lawsuits" against Trump's agenda. "The Department has defeated many of these lawsuits all the way up to the Supreme Court and will continue to defend the President's agenda to keep Americans safe," the spokesperson said. The Justice Department did not comment on the departures of career lawyers or morale in the section. Some turnover in the Federal Programs Branch is common between presidential administrations, but the seven sources described the number of people quitting as highly unusual. Reuters was unable to find comparative figures for previous administrations. However, two former attorneys in the unit and two others familiar with its work said the scale of departures is far greater than during Trump's first term and Joe Biden's administration. HEADING FOR THE EXIT The exits include at least 10 of the section's 23 supervisors, experienced litigators who in many cases served across presidential administrations, according to two of the lawyers. A spokesperson said the Justice Department is hiring to keep pace with staffing levels during the Biden Administration. They did not provide further details. In its broad overhaul of the Justice Department, the Trump administration has fired or sidelined dozens of lawyers who specialize in prosecuting national security and corruption cases and publicly encouraged departures from the Civil Rights Division. But the Federal Programs Branch, which defends challenges to White House and federal agency policies in federal trial courts, remains critical to its agenda. The unit is fighting to sustain actions of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency formerly overseen by Elon Musk; Trump's order restricting birthright citizenship and his attempt to freeze $2.5 billion in funding to Harvard University. "We've never had an administration pushing the legal envelope so quickly, so aggressively and across such a broad range of government policies and programs," said Peter Keisler, who led the Justice Department's Civil Division under Republican President George W. Bush. "The demands are intensifying at the same time that the ranks of lawyers there to defend these cases are dramatically thinning." The departures have left the Justice Department scrambling to fill vacancies. More than a dozen lawyers have been temporarily reassigned to the section from other parts of the DOJ and it has been exempted from the federal government hiring freeze, according to two former lawyers in the unit. A Justice Department spokesperson did not comment on the personnel moves. Justice Department leadership has also brought in about 15 political appointees to help defend civil cases, an unusually high number. The new attorneys, many of whom have a record defending conservative causes, have been more comfortable pressing legal boundaries, according to two former lawyers in the unit. "They have to be willing to advocate on behalf of their clients and not fear the political fallout," said Mike Davis, the head of the Article III Project, a pro-Trump legal advocacy group, referring to the role of DOJ lawyers in defending the administration's policies. People who have worked in the section expect the Federal Programs Branch to play an important role in the Trump administration's attempts to capitalize on a Supreme Court ruling limiting the ability of judges to block its policies nationwide. Its lawyers are expected to seek to narrow prior court rulings and also defend against an anticipated rise in class action lawsuits challenging government policies. Lawyers in the unit are opposing two attempts by advocacy organizations to establish a nationwide class of people to challenge Trump's order on birthright citizenship. A judge granted one request on Thursday. FACING PRESSURE Four former Justice Department lawyers told Reuters some attorneys in the Federal Programs Branch left over policy differences with Trump, but many had served in the first Trump administration and viewed their role as defending the government regardless of the party in power. The four lawyers who left said they feared Trump administration policies to dismantle certain federal agencies and claw back funding appeared to violate the U.S. Constitution or were enacted without following processes that were more defensible in court. Government lawyers often walked into court with little information from the White House and federal agencies about the actions they were defending, the four lawyers said. The White House and DOJ did not comment when asked about communications on cases. Attorney General Pam Bondi in February threatened disciplinary action against government lawyers who did not vigorously advocate for Trump's agenda. The memo to Justice Department employees warned career lawyers they could not "substitute personal political views or judgments for those that prevailed in the election." Four of the lawyers Reuters spoke with said there was a widespread concern that attorneys would be forced to make arguments that could violate attorney ethics rules, or refuse assignments and risk being fired. Those fears grew when Justice Department leadership fired a former supervisor in the Office of Immigration Litigation, a separate Civil Division unit, accusing him of failing to forcefully defend the administration's position in the case of Kilmar Abrego, the man wrongly deported to El Salvador. The supervisor, Erez Reuveni, filed a whistleblower complaint, made public last month, alleging he faced pressure from administration officials to make unsupported legal arguments and adopt strained interpretations of rulings in three immigration cases. Justice Department officials have publicly disputed the claims, casting him as disgruntled. A senior official, Emil Bove, told a Senate panel that he never advised defying courts. Career lawyers were also uncomfortable defending Trump's executive orders targeting law firms, according to two former Justice Department lawyers and a third person familiar with the matter. A longtime ally of Bondi who defended all four law firm cases argued they were a lawful exercise of presidential power. Judges ultimately struck down all four orders as violating the Constitution. The Trump administration has indicated it will appeal at least one case.

Love Island USA: Why contestants stay out of pool while camera rolls?
Love Island USA: Why contestants stay out of pool while camera rolls?

Hindustan Times

time40 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Love Island USA: Why contestants stay out of pool while camera rolls?

American tourists are facing a challenging summer as the U.S. dollar has dropped significantly, recording its worst first half in over 50 years. The dollar has fallen 13% against the euro and 6% against the yen, making overseas travel more expensive. Despite this, many travelers remain undeterred, planning international trips while U.S. multinational companies may benefit from cheaper exports.

Trump teases 'major statement' on Russia, Putin ahead of NATO meet
Trump teases 'major statement' on Russia, Putin ahead of NATO meet

Hindustan Times

time40 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Trump teases 'major statement' on Russia, Putin ahead of NATO meet

US President Donald Trump announced that he would have a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday. 'You'll be seeing things happen', Trump said, adding, 'I think I'll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday.' US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin shake hands before attending a joint press conference..(AFP File) Trump, who had initially pinned equal blame on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing the conflict with Russia, seems to have turned his displeasure squarely towards Vladimir Putin. What could be in Trump's statement? Axios reported that Trump would announce an 'aggressive' weapons plan for Ukraine, while Bloomberg reported a few days back that the POTUS was mulling new sanctions on Russia. All of this comes ahead of the meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte next week, with the latter doing his best to curry favour with Trump at the recent summit at The Hague. Patriot missiles for Ukraine, but US won't foot bill Trump, who was earlier averse to sending military equipment to Ukraine, said that the US was sending Patriot missiles but declined to comment on the number. The President, however, said that the US would not be paying for them since they would give the missiles to NATO, which would foot the bill, and in turn, help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian onslaught. What Trump said about Putin 'Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,' a disgruntled Trump said, adding, 'I thought he [Putin] was somebody that meant what he said. And he talked so beautifully, but then he bombed everyone at night. We don't like that.' Earlier in the week, the firebrand president noted, 'We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He's very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless', as per CNN. Kremlin, meanwhile, on Friday said it awaited Trump's major statement, but didn't show signs of easing up on Ukraine, with Reuters reporting drone and missile attacks on western Ukraine that left two dead.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store