Romanian Assets Rally on Election With Budget Woes Now in Focus
Romania's assets staged a relief rally after a centrist candidate defeated his nationalist opponent in the presidential election, with investor focus now shifting to how quickly a new government can fix the state's finances.
The Black Sea nation's currency and dollar bonds led gains across emerging markets on Monday, and stocks also rose, after Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan's victory over far-right leader George Simion promised to keep the country on a pro-European path. Sunday's runoff was the culmination of months of turmoil — the gravest political crisis since the collapse of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's regime in 1989.
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CNN
26 minutes ago
- CNN
Why McCain and Obama are causing marital tension
(LifeWire) -- Pamela Rainey Lawler and Denis Lawler of Philadelphia have handled the travails of being married 38 years without seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. The upcoming presidential election is no different. Pamela, a 58-year-old self-described "left-left" Democrat, will be voting for Barack Obama. Denis, a 60-year-old longtime Republican, plans to vote for John McCain. Although they joke about their situation, Pamela says it's hard to keep her sense of humor when the stakes are so high. Good thing they love each other. "It gets hard when things are getting down and dirty and there is a lot on the line," Pamela, the director of outreach and development at an educational company, says of her husband, a lawyer. But she adds, "The foundation of [our] relationship is so much bigger than politics, and tends to trump politics." Especially in an election season where emotions are running high, couples who don't agree on politics can keep the peace by being open and honest with one another. "Where couples get in trouble is not so much having a different opinion; it's how they communicate it," says Grecia Matthews, a couples therapist and social worker in New York City. Couples need to be honest about their arguing styles and tolerance for criticism, she adds. State your opinion Good communication skills are important, it's true, but as Lorraine Duval knows, it also helps to be married to a good-natured spouse. Duval, a 33-year-old music teacher and McCain disciple from Glens Falls, New York, admits that in the heat of the moment she has called her pro-Obama husband, Chris, by other, less loving names. "Sometimes you have to state your opinion," she says, though she emphasizes that Chris' easygoing nature diffuses the tension. She returns the favor at social gatherings where Republicans far outnumber Democrats. She'll "go off the deep end" in his defense if she feels McCain voters are ganging up on him, says Chris, a 34-year-old mortician. "We really didn't discuss our views until later on in the relationship," Lorraine explains. "It wouldn't have been an issue for me anyway." Besides, points out Andre Anthony Moore, the founder of Marriage and Couples Counseling in New York City, if spouses agreed on everything, "life would be dull." "But in the process of drinking in the other's opinion," he says, "you might get to be a bigger person." Embrace the difference Opinions always got a good airing in the Lawlers' home when she was growing up, says their daughter, Kristin, 37. "At our dinner table, if you couldn't be persuasive, you were toast," says Kristin, an assistant professor of sociology at the College of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale, New York. But such debate wasn't divisive, it was healthy, she says. Even today, when the family gathers, they debate politics. "I do think that my parents would make a good model for others who vote differently and who are able to see their differences in a positive light," says Kristin. "Difference is a vital principle -- it keeps you on your toes. Having a good opponent makes you a better debater. And if you want your side to win, you have to know how to make a strong political argument." For the record, though, Pamela Lawler says the couple's three children tend to side with her. Agree to disagree "Elizabeth Leslie, 37, a Democrat from Sacramento, California, works hard to maintain the political peace with husband Troy Gassaway, 35, a Republican." "It's exceptionally challenging," she says. "We agree to disagree." Leslie confesses she can't help but try to sway her husband's allegiance -- as communications manager for the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of California, political persuasion is part of her job. Leslie, who was not speaking on behalf of the League, says she has persuaded her husband to vote her way on several proposals in the past two elections. She praised him for listening to her when he's on the fence about any legislation. But come November, he's sticking with McCain. "My advice is for couples to hear the other out," she says. "The passion that made up their mind -- at least consider it." And even if the debate gets ugly, consider the fringe benefits. All that emotion can stimulate friendlier activity, therapist Grecia Matthews points out: "There can be makeup sex." Keeping the peace Live in a house divided? Here are some tips for keeping the peace when you and your partner split the ticket: • If disagreements get too personal, consider keeping sensitive subjects like politics off-limits. • If you need to vent an unpopular opinion, talk with a friend who holds similar values. • Agree on a "safe word" signifying that a tense conversation needs to end, out of respect for one another. • After tensions peak, do an activity you both enjoy -- take a walk or go to the movies -- and remember why you love each other. • Establish firm guidelines on when and where it's OK to bring up the campaign -- if at all. E-mail to a friend LifeWire provides original and syndicated lifestyle content to Web publishers. Ron Dicker, a Brooklyn-based journalist, frequently writes about relationship topics. He previously covered sports for the New York Times. All About U.S. Politics • John McCain • Barack Obama
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Guinea's military junta sets up up election body for December vote
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Guinea's military junta has created a new institution that will be responsible for managing elections, including a constitutional referendum in September and the general and presidential elections set for December. Guinea is one of several West African countries where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, in power since 2021, agreed in 2022 to launch a democratic transition after a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline. The ruling junta's failure to meet the deadline led to opposition protests that paralyzed Guinea's capital Conakry in January. The Directorate General of Elections, or DGE, will be responsible, among other duties, for organizing elections, managing the electoral register and ensuring electoral fairness, junta leader Doumbouya announced in a decree read on state television late Saturday. The two heads of the institution will be appointed by presidential decree, he added. The DGE will also represent Guinea in sub-regional, regional, and international electoral bodies. Last month, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said the general and presidential elections will take place in December 2025. He also confirmed the organization of a referendum to adopt a new constitution on Sept. 21, as announced by the junta in April. There are concerns about the credibility of the elections. The military regime dissolved more than 50 political parties last year in a move it claimed was to 'clean up the political chessboard.' It has also tightened the grip on independent media, rights groups say, with social networks and private radio stations often cut off and information sites interrupted or suspended for several months without explanation, while journalists face attacks and arrests.
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
Russia is shifting tactics again, assaulting Ukrainian cities with swarms of killer drones
On a recent evening in Kyiv, 4-year-old Olexander Reshetnik made a simple suggestion to his parents: 'Let's go to the parking garage now so we can sleep properly, and you don't have to wake us up twice to take us there and back.' The family lives on the 18th floor of a high-rise building and getting into the underground garage that doubles as a bomb shelter during Russian attacks is an uncomfortable experience. With aerial attacks becoming more common, it made sense to Oleksander to simply stay there. Even at his young age, he knew the Russians would likely attack again. His mother Khrystyna Reshetnik said the family has gotten used to seeing drones being shot down in the skies over Ukraine's capital. In days gone by there would be one or two, maybe three, but things have changed. 'Lately, they've been flying like a swarm that doesn't stop for three or four hours. Explosions right outside the windows,' she told CNN. Russia has ramped up its airborne attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, launching as many as 479 drones and missiles in a single night. These assaults are not just bigger and more frequent; they are also more concentrated and executed in a way that makes them a lot more difficult to combat – as they are flown at higher altitudes, out of reach of machine guns. The increase in the number of drones Russia is deploying against its neighbor is stunning: seven of Moscow's largest drone attacks in its war on Ukraine have happened in the past four weeks, according to a CNN tally. Russia successfully scaled up the domestic production of its most frequently used drone – the Iranian-designed Shahed – last fall and is now churning out hundreds of these killing machines every day. Christina Harward, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, said that according to current estimates, Moscow can now produce about 2,700 Shahed drones per month, as well as some 2,500 decoy drones. 'These numbers are allowing Russia to more frequently launch over 300 or even 400 drones in just one night,' she told CNN. The fact that some of the drones are decoys makes little difference to the Ukrainian defenses as Moscow has adapted them in a way that makes it very difficult to distinguish them from the real thing. 'So, either Ukrainian forces spend time trying to identify the decoys or they spend precious resources shooting them down. Either way, this helps the Russian missiles and Shaheds – with their large payloads – (as they) have the chance to get through to their targets,' Harward said. The increased number of drones launched each night is overwhelming Ukrainian air defenses, especially since Russia began to zero in on handful of locations at a time. On Monday night, it targeted the Ukrainian capital and the Black Sea port city of Odesa. The following night, it was Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. 'Instead of targeting a bit here and there, they concentrate the strikes and are able to achieve maximum effect, both kinetic and psychological,' Oleksiy Melnyk, a former Ukrainian defense ministry official who is now the co-director of foreign relations and international security programs at the Razumkov Center in Kyiv, told CNN. Russia maintains that it does not target civilians, but evidence to the contrary continues to mount. At least 154 Ukrainian civilians – including children – have been killed by drones, in Russian missile assaults and by artillery across the country in the last four weeks. A further 900 civilians have been injured. The deadly attacks are designed to undermine Ukrainian morale and create the illusion that Russia has the upper hand in the war – even though Moscow is far from 'winning.' The front line in Ukraine has not moved in any significant way since Ukrainian forces liberated the southern city of Kherson in November 2023. Russia has only managed to seize about 5,000 square kilometers (1,900 square miles) of Ukraine's territory since then. Russian troops have advanced in some areas in eastern and northern Ukraine in recent months but have not managed to break through or take over a major city. Yuriy Chumak spends many of his nights perched on Kyiv's rooftops, machine gun in hand. A Supreme Court judge by day, he is part of a volunteer drone-hunting unit by night. He said the skies have gotten significantly busier in recent weeks. 'There are many more drones. This is an objective fact. And, of course, the more there are, the harder it is to work against them,' Chumak told CNN. He said after Moscow started flying drones at higher altitudes, it has become much harder, if not impossible, for his unit to destroy them. Previously, Russian forces would fly the drones low, for example along a riverbed, to avoid being detected by Ukraine's air defenses for as long as possible. 'The time to respond was very short because we only detected it when it was (close),' he said. These days, he said, Russian drones are flying two to five kilometers (1 to 3 miles) above the ground. 'We can see them all. Radars can track them. But it has become impossible to shoot them down with machine guns,' Chumak said, adding that Ukraine now has to use missiles to thwart them. But missiles are in much shorter supply. This is pushing Ukrainian forces to find new solutions on the go. Melnyk said that the efficiency of Ukraine's air defense system remains remarkable. 'Even now, about 80% of drones are being intercepted. A few months ago, this percentage was about 95. (But) we can see the impact of Russia increasing the number (of drones) and changing tactics,' he added. Speaking to reporters last month, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the Ukrainian Air Force and volunteers like Chumak for pivoting as Russia ramped up its air war. He added that Kyiv was now using drone-to-drone interceptors to combat the higher altitude bombardment. 'We have the technology. The question is when we will be able to expand,' he said. Zelensky said that Russia can produce some 300 to 350 drones a day, while Ukraine can only make 100. 'The issue is no longer about production capacity. It's financial,' he said. Kyiv mom Khrystyna Reshetnik said one of the worst things about the Russian aerial assaults is that they have become commonplace to her three boys, aged 4, 8 and 11. Olexander regularly asks whether the noise he hears is a Kalibr cruise missile or a drone. 'He's just a little boy and he already understands what's going on,' Reshetnik said. As the attacks have intensified in size and scope, the family has been spending more time in the underground parking garage, where Olexander and his two brothers sleep in the trunk of their car. 'This has become the norm for our children. It hurts my heart,' she said. Yet despite the daily horrors they experience, the Reshetniks are among the lucky ones. They live in Kyiv, a city that is relatively well defended. The majority of the explosions they hear are Ukrainian air defenses intercepting Russian drones. Many others elsewhere around the country are left without protective shields because Ukraine's access to air defenses is limited by what its Western allies are willing to spare. Closer to the front lines, Russian troops have been using smaller drones to target civilians. 'We talk about these big attacks, especially when Kyiv is under attack, but cities like Sumy or Kherson are under attack 24/7,' Melnyk said, interrupted by an air raid alarm as he spoke to CNN. 'There is (a) ballistic missile coming, so I am going to go into the shelter. My point is that this is the daily life of Ukrainian citizens and civilians.' CNN's Kostya Gak and Victoria Butenko contributed reporting.
