Latest news with #pro-Brussels
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump-backed nationalist wins Poland election
A nationalist boxer-turned-historian backed by US President Donald Trump narrowly won Poland's presidential election. Karol Nawrocki's victory is a blow to Poland's centrist, pro-Brussels Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has sought to loosen abortion restrictions, pass a civil-partnership law, and reverse legislation that the European Union said politicized the judiciary — efforts the new head of state could veto or slow. The campaign focused on security and migration, issues closely tied to Poland's relationship with Ukraine. But while both presidential candidates pledged to maintain support for Kyiv, Nawrocki was more critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and took a harder line against Ukrainian refugees in Poland, accusing them of taking advantage of Polish generosity.
LeMonde
20-05-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Defeated Romanian nationalist candidate asks court to annul presidential elections
George Simion, the nationalist candidate who lost Romania's presidential election, said on Tuesday, May 20, he was asking the constitutional court to cancel the vote, alleging interference. Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU centrist, won almost 54% of the vote to beat Simion, leader of the far-right AUR party and a fan of US President Donald Trump. Once the votes in Sunday's race were counted, Simion conceded defeat, congratulating Dan on his win. But in an about-turn on Tuesday, he announced his decision to contest the results. "I officially ask (the) Constitutional Court to annul Romanian presidential elections," he posted on X, citing "external interferences by state and non-state actors" – and including in the message flag icons for France and Moldova. Neither those countries "nor anyone else has the right to interfere in the elections of another state," he said, calling the election a "farce." Online, supporters have been posting numerous comments blaming "the system" for "stealing" Simion's victory. Simion said on Tuesday he congratulated Dan, "considering the figures from the polling stations." "I never want to see bloodshed in our country that would justify chaos," he said. He has repeatedly alleged electoral fraud, without giving any evidence. France's foreign intelligence service on Monday rejected claims from Telegram founder Pavel Durov that its chief had requested the tech mogul to ban pro-conservative Romanian accounts from the platform ahead of the election. Last year's annulled vote The ballot came five months after Romania's constitutional court annulled an election over allegations of Russian interference and massive social media promotion of the far-right frontrunner, who was not allowed to stand again. Tens of thousands have protested the vote annulment, with top US officials also criticizing it. For the May vote, both Dan, 55, and Simion, 38, campaigned on platforms of change, tapping into voter frustration with a political class widely deemed corrupt. Unlike the pro-Brussels Dan, an independent who promised an "honest" Romania, Simion slammed the EU's "absurd policies" and vowed to stop aid to war-torn Ukraine, which neighbors NATO member Romania. Turnout was close to 65% – a high for the country – compared to 53% for the May 4 first round, in which Simion secured most votes. The election turmoil has increased economic uncertainty in the EU's most indebted country, which is grappling with high inflation.
France 24
16-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Elections in Romania: Will voters back pro-Western candidate or hard-right populist?
Romanians head to the polls on Sunday for the second round of voting. It's a presidential election with huge repercussions for all of Europe because of George Simion. The hard-right populist, a Trump-loving candidate, is tipped to be the winner of this closely fought election. He could take Romania in a direction, away from the traditional pro-Brussels mainstream. Simion is on the cover of Politico magazine this week. Early polls show his centrist rival Nicusor Dan, the mathematician mayor of Bucharest, catching up but it's too early to tell. Politico's news site explains that it's been an unusual presidential campaign. The election campaign has been fought largely on TV and social media – neither candidate has spent much time campaigning on the ground. Simion hasn't even been in the country and attended only one debate with his rival. Cutianul, a Romanian daily, references the Politico cover story. It examines the similarities between Italy's Giorgia Meloni, a populist or neo-populist leader, and Simion. The two are most similar in terms of opening up their respective countries to the US. However, the article says that if Simion wins, he will discover, like Meloni, that populism as preached and populism as practiced are two different things – and this could affect his popularity within his own electorate. Romanian business paper Bursa sees Romanians as having a choice between "the plague and cholera". On its front page, it portray the two candidates in futurist outfits. The second tour is perceived as a science fiction film, a Romanian-Russian production – in reference to Simion's closeness with the Kremlin. French daily Le Monde, meanwhile, has published a report by two Romanian journalists on a road trip to meet the Romanian diaspora. More than 60 percent of the Romanian diaspora in Europe voted for Simion in the first round of elections. Journalists Elena Standu and Cosmin Bumbut hit the road in a campervan, travelling around Europe to document the lives of Romanians who have left the country since it joined the EU. It's believed that two to five million Romanians live in Western Europe. Life is not always easy for them: many take precarious jobs in which they are exploited; a common criticism by Simion. Some good news for science: an infant boy born with a rare genetic disorder has been healed in groundbreaking gene-editing treatment. KJ, a nine-month-old boy, was born with a genetic disorder that affects one in 1.3 million babies. His parents had a choice: palliative care or cutting-edge technology. They chose the latter. KJ has become the first patient to receive custom gene-editing treatment. The New York Times explains that his disorder was the result of a single incorrect DNA letter in the human genome. Researchers concocted an infusion, covered in fatty lipid molecules which were sent to the liver. Inside the lipids were instructions to command the cells to produce an enzyme that edits the gene. The revolutionary research was built on decades of federally funded research. The problem with rare disorders is that it's not viable for companies to spend time and money on specific treatments. However, this technology can be customised and forgoes long years of development and testing. It offers hope notably to many people suffering from rare genetic disorders. Finally: new research in The Times of London has shed light on why 80 percent of ginger cats are male. And it's due to genetics! The ginger colour is caused by a ARHGAP 36 gene within pigment cells. In other mammals like orangutans and humans, the chances of being ginger is pretty much 50-50 because the genetic disruption that leads to the orange colour takes place earlier. In cats, though, it happens on the X chromosome. A male cat (XY), would only need one variant to be ginger whereas the female (XX) chromosome needs two. This explains why most ginger cats are male!
