UK Moves to Ban NDAs to Hide Misconduct Cases, Guardian Reports
Under the reforms being prepared as part of broader employee rights legislation by Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government, any NDA that tried to head off complaints of workplace discrimination or harassment would be unenforceable, the newspaper reported.
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Associated Press
40 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Ion Iliescu's death exposes Romania's deep divisions over his legacy as former leader laid to rest
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — On the day of Ion Iliescu's funeral, the polarizing legacy of Romania's first elected president after the fall of communism was laid bare. While many dignitaries paid their respects, others highlighted the oppression and bloodshed they say defined his political career. A religious ceremony was held on Thursday in a church at the presidential Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest before Iliescu's casket was transferred to a cemetery for a funeral procession with military honors. He died on Tuesday, aged 95, after a lung cancer diagnosis in June following years of ill health. But as flags on official buildings flew at half-staff on Thursday, a national day of mourning, the former president's passing exposed stark divisions over his role in Romania's violent transition after 1989, from communist dictatorship to a free market economy and eventual membership of NATO and the European Union. Iliescu's passing triggers coalition spat Many former leaders and officials paid tribute to Iliescu, in contrast to the Save Romania Union party, a governing coalition partner that opposed the day of national mourning and said party representatives would not attend the funeral, triggering a rift in the recently sworn-in government. USR's decision drew the ire of coalition partners from the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, which Iliescu founded and has been the most dominant party since the revolution. 'These are just shameful attacks from people who will never live up to the legacy left by the founding leader of the PSD,' Marcel Ciolacu, a former PSD leader and prime minister, said in a post on Facebook, adding that it 'demonstrates only sick hatred and lack of decency.' A notable absence from the funeral was Romania's recently elected President Nicusor Dan, who founded the USR party in 2016, and sent a short statement after the former president's death, stating that 'history will judge Ion Iliescu.' Legal battles mounted in later years After largely retiring from public life in 2017, Iliescu's later years were plagued by major legal battles, including charges of crimes against humanity over his alleged role in the bloodshed of the revolution and the violent suppression of civilian protesters in the early 1990s. Iliescu, who served as a minister in the Communist government but was sidelined in 1971, held de facto military authority during the anti-communist revolt. He assumed power after Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena were executed by firing squad on Dec. 25, 1989. More than 1,100 people died during the revolution, 862 of them after Iliescu had seized power. He denied any wrongdoing. In 2018, military prosecutors charged Iliescu with crimes against humanity for failing to prevent 'numerous situations' in which civilians were needlessly killed during the revolution. At the time of his death, he had never been convicted, and the case remained open. In January this year, Iliescu's legal woes mounted when prosecutors charged him with crimes against humanity in a second case. Prosecutors allege he implemented policies that led to a violent crackdown on civilian protesters in Bucharest in 1990, who were demanding the removal of former communists from power. Iliescu had called on coal miners from the Jiu Valley to 'restore order' in the capital. At least four people were killed. Some are mourning victims of transition years A demonstration organized in Bucharest later on Thursday by the civic activist group 'Corruption Kills,' which opposed the national day of mourning, stated Iliescu's passing should serve as 'a moment of critical reflection and remembrance' of the victims of violent repression under his leadership. 'We will do some mourning … but we will do it for the victims, not for the oppressor, not for the killer,' Florin Badita-Nistor, the group's founder, told The Associated Press. Twice re-elected, in 1992 and 2000, Iliescu was a central figure in the country's transition years and its shift westward during his last tenure, which paved the way to membership of NATO and the EU. In recent years, Iliescu's health declined. In 2019, he underwent heart surgery and spent nearly two months in hospital before his death, during which he received the lung cancer diagnosis. — Stephen McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, U.K.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Trump's Higher Tariffs Are Here. Now What?
Good morning. The next phase of President Trump's trade war is here, as scores of trading partners and imported products now face significantly higher tariffs. That will raise costs for many companies — except for those who have placated Trump with acceptable-enough promises to invest in the U.S. — and continue to scramble the outlook for global business. We dive into the latest below. Tariff tantrum Bruising tariffs went into effect a few hours ago on more than 90 countries as President Trump's trade war enters a new phase. The president has signaled that there's more to come. Trading partners are scrambling to negotiate better terms, while many of their industries — Japan's automakers, for one — reel from the protectionist attack. Here's a country-by-country tariff tracker. But investors appear to be shrugging off the potential hit to global commerce. Stocks in Asia and Europe were trading mostly higher, helped by decent earnings that suggest that some companies are holding up. That's in part because many deeply involved in international trade, like the shipping giant Maersk and Chinese exporters, have found resilient demand outside the U.S. S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite futures are gaining, too. The latest: Shares in Toyota fell after the Japanese auto giant forecast a $9.5 billion hit from tariffs, and lowered its full-year profit guidance. Several overseas chipmakers appear to have dodged a blow from a new 100 percent levy that Trump threatened on semiconductor imports. That tax would be waived for those companies already 'building' in America, Trump said; shares in TSMC and Samsung, which have large U.S. manufacturing hubs, are rallying on Thursday. The Magnificent Seven group of tech giants hit a record on Wednesday, buoyed by a surge in Apple shares. (More on that in a second.) Nvidia's stock gained as Jensen Huang, the chipmaker's C.E.O., met with Trump. Is Apple out of Trump's doghouse? Tim Cook separately joined Trump at the White House, announcing a commitment to invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S. Cook had a 24-karat gold gift for the president and said that 'every single new iPhone and every single new Apple Watch sold anywhere in the world will contain cover glass made in Kentucky.' It will be worth watching if the commitment will be enough to dissuade Trump from imposing tariffs on Apple products. (Remember that the iPhone maker has a history of pledging huge sums — in February it vowed to invest $500 billion domestically, drawing Trump's praise — but hasn't always followed through.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Ukrainians Greet Planned Trump-Putin Summit With Deep Skepticism
Ukrainians have reacted with caution and deep skepticism to the suggestion that President Trump can deliver an end to Europe's deadliest war in generations. A Kremlin aide, Yuri Ushakov, on Thursday confirmed that a meeting was being planned between Mr. Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in 'the coming days.' Mr. Trump had on Wednesday told European allies that he would follow such a meeting with a trilateral summit with Mr. Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. Such talks, he said in public comments later, could lead to 'the road ending' for the conflict. (Mr. Ushakov, Mr. Putin's foreign policy adviser, declined on Thursday to discuss the idea of a three-way summit with Mr. Zelensky.) Despite the promise of talks, many Ukrainians expressed fear that the White House was again being strung along by the Kremlin. 'Of course, we shouldn't take all this as a prelude to the end of the war,' Volodymyr Fesenko, a Ukrainian political analyst, wrote in a social media post, echoing a widely held view. 'On Putin's part, this could be another insidious maneuver,' he added. Mr. Fesenko said that Mr. Putin's approach could range from 'imitating real negotiations to trying to lure Trump into a negotiating trap in order to sell him a 'softened' version of peace on Russian terms, which will then be imposed on President Zelensky and Ukraine.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
