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Romanian politicians have voted in favour of a new pro-European coalition government led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania’s 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a parliamentary election on December 1 a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Mr Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis,” he said. “It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romania’s 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It is widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Mr Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it is entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns”. Romania was plunged into turmoil after Mr Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the December 8 run-off, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race. “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Mr Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Mr Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organise the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighbouring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all politicians from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.One of the 39 people pardoned by President Joe Biden’s administration is a Utah woman who has turned her life around after struggling with substance abuse. Stevoni Doyle of Santaquin is a wife, mother and grandmother who also fosters animals and volunteers. "I'm a therapist with Wasatch Behavioral Health, with the jail transition program,” said Doyle. "If you would have asked me 20 years ago if I would be here today, I never would have imagined that,” said Doyle. She has come a long way. "In 2000, I was introduced to meth, and I instantly become addicted,” explained Doyle. “It was the one thing that I felt like just completed me. Within a year, I lost custody of my 4 kids to DCFS and I had racked up a bunch of charges." Doyle served time at the Utah State Prison and then at a federal prison in Arizona. There, she decided to make some changes. "I started to take accountability for my actions and realized that I didn’t want to live this lifestyle," she said. RELATED STORY | Biden commutes 1,500 sentences in largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history Doyle started helping people who were struggling with substance abuse and even went back to school to study social work. "I never thought I would graduate college, let alone get a master’s degree,” Doyle said. On Wednesday, she got a special phone call and was pardoned by President Biden. "I was like, no way, I can’t believe this is happening.” She said. "I won’t have to explain myself all the time. Even though I don’t have a problem sharing it, it’s part of my story, it’s part of who I am, it’s still nice to not have to do that." RELATED STORY | January 6 defendant tells Scripps News he may not accept a potential pardon from Trump This story was originally published by Mythili Gubbi at Scripps News Salt Lake City .
Income investors that are on the lookout for Christmas presents for their portfolio might want to check out the ASX dividend shares in this article. That's because analysts are tipping them as buys and expect a combination of decent yields and meaningful upside in the near term. Let's see what they are predicting for them: ( ) The first ASX dividend share for income investors to look at is Centuria Industrial. It is Australia's largest domestic pure play industrial property investment company. The team at UBS is positive on the company due to its cheap valuation and robust demand for industrial property. As for income, the broker is forecasting Centuria Industrial to pay dividends per share of 16 cents in FY 2025 and then 17 cents in FY 2026. Based on the current Centuria Industrial share price of $2.87, this represents of 5.6% and 5.9%, respectively. UBS currently has a buy rating and $3.80 price target on the company's shares. ( ) Another ASX dividend share that could be a buy according to brokers is HealthCo Healthcare & Wellness REIT. It is a real estate investment trust that invests in hospitals, aged care, childcare, government, life sciences and research, and primary care and wellness property assets. Bell Potter likes HealthCo Healthcare & Wellness REIT due to its enormous growth opportunity in this market. It expects this to allow the company to pay dividends of 8.4 cents per share for FY 2025 and then 8.7 cents per share in FY 2026. Based on the current Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT unit price of $1.00, this will mean dividend yields of 8.4% and 8.7%, respectively. Bell Potter currently has a buy rating and $1.50 price target on its shares. Finally, Bell Potter also thinks that Universal Store could be an ASX dividend share to buy. It is the youth fashion retailer behind the eponymous Universal Store brand, as well as the Perfect Stranger, and Thrills brands. Bell Potter rates the company highly due to "the store roll-out & brand growth strategy, margin expansion via private label product penetration (currently ~46%) and strong earnings trajectory." It is expecting this to underpin fully franked dividends per share of 31.4 cents in FY 2025 and then 36.8 cents in FY 2026. Based on the current Universal Store share price of $8.02, this will mean yields of 3.9% and 4.6%, respectively. Bell Potter currently has a buy rating and $8.85 price target on its shares.fter playing over in more than and becoming the first tour ever to , Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour comes to a close this weekend with . Needless to say, the tour, which kicked off on March 17 last year, has been a huge success, attracting numerous celebrities including , , her in-laws ( ) and Kelce himself, who attended one of her shows in London. Remember: "Karma is the guy from the Chiefs. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce: Taking Love at Their Own Pace has also had an incredible two years with the , winning back-to-back championships and now chasing the this season. The team is looking strong, but with both Kelce and no longer in their early twenties, . One particularly strong rumor suggests that if Kelce, now 35, reaches this historic milestone, he . Of course, that's easier said than done. According to are deeply committed, but . Sources reveal that while , they are not rushing into it. Swift, known for her thoughtful approach to relationships, believes but she wants to make sure the timing is perfect. The coming months, including the , will give them a chance to spend more time together and learn more about each other's habits and personalities. with Kelce, enjoying a quieter life and splitting her time between Kansas City and her New York City apartment, The couple's , with their parents forming a close bond. in Miami, while Swift's mother, Andrea, was spotted cheering for Travis at a Chiefs game. I mean what else is left for them to do but support when they are . They also in Nashville and the two families now feel like they've been connected for years. Also they have even discussed . However, note that while Swift values the idea of motherhood, she's not focused on it right now, as her career remains her top priority. December Activities For Travis and Taylor As in Vancouver this weekend, her status as the preeminent pop star of the decade is solidified. Meanwhile, are focused on the final stretch of their season, with five games remaining that could be crucial to securing . The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, who they'll face on Christmas Day, are close behind, keeping the pressure on the reigning champions.
Relief, defiance, anger: Families and advocates react to Biden's death row commutations