☰
HomeLiving Beyond BordersGZERO WorldSignalIn 60 SecondsPuppet RegimeGZERO World PodcastContact UsAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyTerms

Moldovan FM launches new career as Self-Care King

January 24, 2024
Matthew Kendrick
​Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu addresses media, as he arrives for a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 11, 2023.
Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu addresses media, as he arrives for a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 11, 2023.
REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

The consensus on Instagram is that we undervalue the importance of time off, but Moldovan Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu is forging a bold new trail for work-life balance in statesmanship.

Having put his small former-Soviet state on the path to European Union membership – to protect it from Russian predations – and having survived an energy crisis and attempts to topple his government and steal elections, the 42-year-old says, “I now need a break.” Wouldn’t you?

President Maia Sandu awarded Popescu the nation’s highest honor, praising “His unparalleled work [that] lifted Moldova from isolation, defining our European path and commitment to freedom.” Popescu will wrap things up by Jan. 29, but it might not be the last we hear of him: Sandu, his close ally and fellow Europhile, is up for reelection later this year, and Popescu has vowed to back her.

In the meantime, GZERO hopes he’ll kick back with a bottle of Moldova’s fine Fetească Albă white wine, and maybe check out one of our Oscar picks. Noroc, domnule!

More from GZERO Media

Can Britain’s new Tory leader become Thatcher 2.0?

Robert Jenrick greets Kemi Badenoch, after Badenoch was announced as the new leader of Britain's Conservative Party, in London, Britain, November 2, 2024.
REUTERS/Mina Kim

Self-proclaimed “straight speaker” Kemi Badenoch won the leadership of the UK Conservative Party on Saturday – the first Black woman to do so – and promises to take the party further to the right.

How a low-cost phone can change the equation for millions of African entrepreneurs

Mastercard

Those without access to today’s digital world are losing out on opportunities for education and prosperity, not to mention economic stability. A partnership between Mastercard and KaiOS, a technology platform dedicated to advancing digital and financial inclusion, aims to close that gap and pave the way to a global economy that empowers everyone. Read more about the challenges small businesses face in emerging markets and how the partnership can bring the promise of the digital economy to millions of entrepreneurs around the world.

Top threats to US election security

- YouTube

youtu.be

As Election Day approaches, US cybersecurity chief Jen Easterly warns that while America’s voting systems are more secure than ever, the period between voting and certification remains vulnerable, with foreign adversaries poised to exploit any internal divisions during this critical time. Watch her interview with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.

US election security and the threats of foreign interference: CISA Director Jen Easterly discusses

- YouTube

youtu.be

Listen: On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Jen Easterly, the top US official behind America’s election security infrastructure. As Director of Homeland Security's Center for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), she is on the frontlines of safeguarding the voting process. In their conversation, Easterly talks about the massive improvements to the nation’s voting systems and emphasizes “with great confidence that election infrastructure has never been more secure.” Yet what worries Easterly is the potential for election meddling and disinformation after voting ends and before certification is complete.

Ian Explains: Your vote is secure, so why are you still worried?

- YouTube

youtu.be

As Americans head to the polls, election officials face the dual challenge of safeguarding both the voting process and public confidence in it, with foreign adversaries and domestic actors ready to exploit any lingering doubts about election integrity. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer discusses the roots of Americans’ mistrust in the security of their votes, even though election systems are indeed secure.

Podcast: The State of the World in 2024 with Ian Bremmer

Listen: The world is grappling with intense political and humanitarian challenges—raging wars, surging nationalism, and a warming climate, to name a few. Yet, we also stand at the brink of some of the most transformative opportunities in human history. So how do we make sense of the future and what’s next? Ian Bremmer breaks it all down in a special edition of the GZERO World Podcast: The 2024 State of the World.

Mexican Congress defangs the judiciary as majority of Supreme Court resigns

Workers of the Judiciary in Mexico City, Mexico, on October 15, 2024, protest outside the National Palace in the capital against judicial reform in Mexico. They reject the bill promoted by the former president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, which proposes the election by popular vote of judges, magistrates, and ministers of the Supreme Court starting in 2025.
(Photo by Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto)

Eight out of Mexico’s 11 Supreme Court justices announced late Wednesday that they would resign their positions in opposition to a judicial overhaul that requires them to stand for election, while at the same time Congress passed new legislation that will prohibit legal challenges to constitutional changes.

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2020 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.