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S Korea’s conservative party picks Kim Moon-soo as presidential candidate

S Korea’s conservative party picks Kim Moon-soo as presidential candidate

The snap election was triggered by the removal of Yoon Suk-yeol from the presidency for declaring martial law on December 3. South Korea’s main conservative party has nominated Kim Moon-soo, a former labour minister and veteran political figure, as its presidential candidate for the snap election to be held on June 3. Kim, 73, secured the People Power Party (PPP) nomination with 56.5 percent of the vote at the party’s national convention in Goyang city in Gyeonggi Province on Saturday. The election was triggered by the dramatic impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol after South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled that he had grossly violated his duties by declaring martial law without justification on December 3. The ruling ended Yoon’s presidency and forced the country into an early vote to choose his successor. Kim, a former labour activist who later shifted to the conservative camp, previously served as labour minister under Yoon and governor of South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province from 2006 to 2014. Kim will face liberal Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, who remains a clear frontrunner with nearly 50 percent of public support, according to a survey by the pollster Realmeter released on Monday, while Kim had 13 percent support. Advertisement Kim has pledged to implement business-friendly policies if elected. He laid out a sweeping conservative vision for the country in his acceptance speech, promising to take a hard line against North Korea and implement incentives for businesses and for innovation and science. He also pledged to strengthen policies to support young workers and the underprivileged, recounting his experience as a labour and democracy activist while in university for which he was jailed and expelled from school. “I have never abandoned the weakest among us in the lowest of places,” he said. But the race was rocked this week by a court ruling that cast doubt on Lee’s eligibility to run for the presidency, overturning a lower court acquittal that cleared him of violating election law in a previous race. The Supreme Court sent the case back to an appeals court and it was not clear when a new ruling will be made. On Friday, Yoon’s former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced his entry into the presidential race, hoping to leverage his higher profile. Han, while not a member of the conservative party, has been mentioned as a potential partner of the party to join forces against the liberals in the race. Adblock test (Why?)

Rockets, VanVleet beat Warriors in Game 6, force playoff decider

Rockets, VanVleet beat Warriors in Game 6, force playoff decider

Fred VanVleet scored 29 points as the Houston Rockets produce stunning 115-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Houston Rockets rode a crushing fourth quarter to a 115-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday to set up a game-seven showdown in their NBA Western Conference playoff series. The Rockets will be trying to become just the 14th team to rally from 3-1 down to win an NBA playoff series when they host game seven on Sunday. Fred VanVleet scored 29 points and Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who led most of the game and silenced an 18,000-strong crowd at the Warriors’ Chase Center arena with an explosive fourth quarter – putting together a 12-0 scoring run in the final frame to push their lead to as many as 17. Amen Thompson added 14 points for Houston and veteran New Zealand big man Steven Adams added 17 points off the bench, connecting on four of four from the floor while providing a formidable defensive presence. Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet holds onto the ball next to Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, guard Brandin Podziemski, second left, and guard Moses Moody, second right, during the NBA match [Cary Edmondson/Reuters] Adams had three of Houston’s five blocked shots as the Rockets kept the Warriors’ potent offence led by Stephen Curry in check. Advertisement Curry scored 29 points, but he connected on just nine of 23 shots from the field and coughed up five turnovers. Jimmy Butler added 27 points but no other Warriors starter scored in double figures. “Just make everything tough,” VanVleet said of the Rockets’ mindset as they took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. “Obviously, we know what they bring to the table. “You want to make everything tough, contest everything … I just think our youth and our athleticism can wear on them over the course of the game, and we’re able to have some success lately.” Overwhelmed early in game five on Friday, the Warriors got off to a marginally better start, but in a nip-and-tuck first quarter that featured 10 lead changes they never led by more than two and Houston were up 25-21 at the end of the first period. A Curry three-pointer tied it at 46-46 with 1:59 left in the first half, but again the Rockets pulled away to lead 53-48 after a first half in which the Warriors made 11 of their 17 turnovers. “That’s the key to the whole series is our ball security,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Houston led 86-84 going into the fourth, but VanVleet drilled a three-pointer in the opening seconds, drawing a foul and making the free throw in a sign of what was to come. “I thought the key play was a four-point play to start the (fourth) quarter,” Kerr said. “We didn’t guard VanVleet, they threw it up the floor and he knocks it down and gets the free throw, and it felt like a game-changing play.” Draymond Green added: “We can’t give up a four-point play in a two-point game.” Advertisement Kerr also singled out 31-year-old Adams, whose 31 minutes on the floor were his season-high. “Adams was fantastic tonight,” Kerr said. “They controlled the game while he was out there.” The Warriors resorted to fouling Adams, a low-percentage free-throw shooter, but he made nine of 16 foul shots and the Rockets managed to grab the rebounds of a couple of his misses to score anyway. The winners of the series will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who ousted the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Adblock test (Why?)

Romania election 2025: Results, who’s standing and what’s at stake?

Romania election 2025: Results, who’s standing and what’s at stake?

Romanians will head to the polls on Sunday, May 4, to elect their next president in the first round of a “do-over” election, the second such poll within six months. The Eastern European country previously held a presidential election on November 24, 2024, from which far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, who was polling in single digits during the campaign, surprisingly emerged victorious. That result was annulled after reports emerged of alleged Russian election interference in favour of Georgescu, throwing the country into a political crisis. Romania’s elections authority banned the pro-Moscow independent in March. He is now subject to criminal investigations. Here’s everything you need to know about the redo vote and who the top contenders are: Where and when will polls open in Romania? Polls will open at 7am (04:00 GMT) on Sunday, May 4 and close at 9pm (18:00 GMT). Voters can cast their ballot at any of 18,979 polling stations around the country. An additional 965 stations will be set up in countries with big diaspora communities, including Malta, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Moldova and the United States. Advertisement How do presidential elections work in Romania? The president is elected for a five-year term in a two-round voting system. A president can serve up to two terms. A candidate must secure more than 50 percent of all registered votes to be declared a winner in the first round. If no candidate achieves the 50 percent threshold on May 4, a run-off will be held on May 18 between the two top finishers. The candidate with the most votes will be declared the winner. What are the main issues driving this election? Wages and inflation The rising cost of food and other basics in the country is likely to be the biggest factor in how people choose to vote. The country’s economy has steadily been on the decline for decades, forcing many young people to seek work abroad. Close to one-third of the population faces poverty. Corruption There is deep-rooted anger over how establishment parties have run the country since the fall of the communist government in 1989. Romania scores among the bottom four countries in Europe in terms of corruption, according to Transparency International. Voters generally have little trust in public institutions and politicians. Ideological divide Romania, like several other European nations, faces growing questions from sections of its population about its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. More right-leaning voters are against additional backing for Kyiv. Overall, voters are split between wanting a government more removed from the West and closer to Russia, and one that’s pro-European Union and NATO. Advertisement This divide is reflected in the makeup of Romania’s parliament. Following parliamentary elections on December 1 last year, Romania’s pro-Europe parties came together to form a majority government in a bid to shut out far-right nationalists. The ruling National Coalition for Romania was formed when the pro-Europe Social Democratic Party (PSD), which topped the polls in the December election but failed to achieve a majority, reached an agreement with the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the reformist Save Romania Union party (USR), and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party. Overall, the coalition holds 58 of the 134 seats in the Senate, the upper house, and 135 seats out of 331 in the lower Chamber of Deputies. On the anti-EU side, the most popular party is the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), which is led by presidential candidate George Simion. It holds 28 seats in the Senate and 61 in the Chamber of Deputies. SOS Romania, also a far-right party, holds another 12 seats in the Senate and 28 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The far-right Party of Young People (POT) holds 24 lower and seven upper seats. Overall, these euro-sceptic parties hold 113 seats in the Chamber of Deputies – not far behind the ruling coalition’s 135. Given this divide, the EU will have its eyes on this presidential election. Who are the main contenders? George Simion, 38 The right-wing, eurosceptic politician is leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and is currently leading the polls with support from 30 percent of voters as of April 26, according to Politico’s Poll of Polls (an average of all the polls). Advertisement Simion, who is perceived as being pro-Moscow – like Georgescu who is a former member of AUR – and is backed by nationalist camps, criticised the decision to annul the controversial November elections. He is opposed to same-sex marriage and is a euro-sceptic. He has also spoken out against sending aid to Ukraine. He has advocated for taking back territory from Ukraine and Moldova that once belonged to Romania. In May 2015, Simion was declared “persona non grata” by Moldova and barred from entering the country for five years on the grounds that he was “endangering national security”. This ban was renewed for a further five years in February 2024. Simion was criticised in 2019 for supporting the election to parliament of two former military officers accused of suppressing revolutionaries in the country’s 1989 overthrow of communist rule. The leader of the radical-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, George Simion, looks on following initial exit polls at the party’s campaign headquarters on the day of the parliamentary election, in Bucharest, Romania, December 1, 2024 [File: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters] Crin Antonescu, 65 The independent candidate and longtime politician is backed by the more centrist governing Social Democratic Party and National Liberal Party alliance (PSD-PNL). According to Politico’s Poll of Polls, Antonescu, who was a one-time acting president and head of the Senate, was polling at 24 percent as of April 26. He supports Romania’s membership of the EU and NATO. He is also in favour of sending more aid to Ukraine. Advertisement Antonescu has highlighted his political experience in his campaigns. Electoral posters are seen in Bucharest before Romania’s presidential elections on April 29, 2025 [Andreea Campeanu/Reuters] Nicusor Dan, 55 The activist

Rep. Mikie Sherrill suggests third Trump impeachment as she campaigns to be next New Jersey governor

Rep. Mikie Sherrill suggests third Trump impeachment as she campaigns to be next New Jersey governor

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., suggested impeaching President Donald Trump a third time to stop Republicans following the 2026 midterms, as she seeks to become the next governor of New Jersey. “I think you have to test yourself. I think it’s not enough to take on one tough fight. I think there’s a lot of tough fights going on,” Sherrill told supporters during a campaign event at Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company Station 34 in Manchester Township on April 26, according to the New York Post. Sherrill, 53, was first elected to the U.S. House in the 2018 midterms, winning the state’s 11th congressional district that had long been considered a Republican stronghold. She voted for both of Trump’s impeachments during his first administration. “When I impeached the president the first time — who knew I would ever be saying–” she was saying at the campaign event last week when an audience member interjected that she should “do it again,” leading to laughter from the rest of the crowd. GOP GOVERNOR HOPEFUL PUSHES ANTI-CHINA POLICY AFTER YEARS OF CHINESE INVESTMENTS “Yeah, exactly. We’ll see,” she replied. “Maybe we’ll go for the trifecta.” The congresswoman added: “But when I impeached him the first time, I thought I would probably lose my seat after that because of my district.” Earlier this week, Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., filed articles of impeachment against Trump for several alleged high crimes and misdemeanors, including for eliminating federal programs without congressional authorization, violating First Amendment rights and refusing to follow court orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. after he was sent to a prison in his home country of El Salvador. The administration purports that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, although a judge previously granted him a form of protected status known as “withholding of removal” after finding that he would likely be a target of Salvadoran gangs if deported to his native country. Democrat lawmakers, many legal experts and other critics of the move to send Abrego Garcia to the Salvadoran prison say this was done without giving him the opportunity to exercise his due process rights. Trump’s “unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service,” Thanedar said in a statement when introducing articles of impeachment against the president. Sherrill explained at her event how Democrat-led states could challenge Trump’s agenda. “I was on the floor on January 6th. And he has no intention of leaving in four years — zero,” Sherrill said, as Trump has floated the idea of bending the constitutional rules to run for a third term. “It’s up to, again, all of us to make sure that we are there, mobilizing, bringing people together as he’s trying to divide us apart, finding ways around and, kind of, to block and tackle in the states,” Sherrill said. GOP CANDIDATE RIPS BLUE STATE DIRECTIVE MEDDLING IN POLICE FORCE’S COOPERATION WITH ICE: ‘HANDCUFFED’ “I have to tell you it’s all down to federalism, in my mind. It’s down to the states — and taking them to court as they’re trying to meddle in our election system,” she added. Others facing Sherrill in the Democrat gubernatorial primary include Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, former Montclair mayor and president of the New Jersey Education Association Sean Spiller and former state Senate president Stephen Sweeney. Current Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy is term-limited. The New Jersey Democrat primary will be held on June 10.