11/2018 • 13, JANUARY 2018 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Czech Republic starts voting for president Pollsters say he wonʼt win the votes needed to secure a second term outright, so a run-off may occur
Czechs have started voting in the 2018 presidential election, with incumbent Milos Zeman leading pre-election polls.
The Czech Republic headed to the polls on Friday to vote in a presidential election that pits current proRussian President Milos Zeman against eight other candidates. Polls showed73-year-old ex-communist Zemanwas leading in the nine-candidate race, ahead of his most likely challenger, Jiri Drahos, a pro-European independent candidate who is a physical chemist and the former head of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Zemanʼs campaign has centered on antiimmigration and a referendum on the Czech Republicʼs withdrawal from the European Union, despite his own support of the countryʼs membership in the bloc. His rhetoric echoes other populist-minded eastern EU leaders – such as in Hungary and Poland – that are in disagreement with Brusselsover mandatory refugee quotasand various rules they see as attempts to limit national sovereignty. He also has harsh anti-Muslim views, having once called the 2015 migrant crisis "an organized invasion" of Europe and insisted Muslims were "impossible to integrate." However, the country of 10.6 million people has received only 12 migrants under the EU quota system. Pollsters do not expect Zeman to win more the more than 50 percent of votes needed to secure a second term outright, meaning a run-off might occur. Zeman has the support of embattled billionairePrime Minister Andrej Babis, who on Thursday said he saw the incum-
bent as "one of the most remarkable personalities" since the fall of communism in 1989. "He lives for politics, not from politics; he fights for our national interests," he said, adding that Zeman should "unite, not divide" Czechs. Drahos, on the other hand, is a liberal centrist who has called on Prague to "play a more active role in the EU." "The president should bring good manners to the political scene," Drahos — whom some critics accuse of being "wishy-washy" — said in a TV debate on Thursday. "The vote shows a broader conflict; it shows how society is polarized," independent political analyst Jiri Pehe told AFP. "It is a clash between ... the post-communist part of society represented by Zeman and the other part, say, modern, proWestern, which simply doesnʼt want this president anymore," Pehe said. Other candidates in the running include ex-gambler and songwriter Michal Horacek, former right-wing premier Mirek Topolanek and Vratislav Kulhanek, former head of Czech carmaker Skoda Auto. Preliminary results are expected on Saturday night. "The vote shows a broader conflict; it shows how society is polarized," independent political analyst Jiri Pehe told AFP. "It is a clash between ... the post-communist part of society represented by Zeman and the other part, say, modern, pro-Western, which simply doesnʼt want this president anymore," Pehe said.
Car drives into pedestrians in Melbourne
Philippine ferry capsizes with 251 people aboard
UNICEF: 220,000 children threatened by mines in Ukraineʼs east
Senior UK minister Damian Green resigns
At least 19 people have been injured after a man intentionally drove into pedestrians. Police have said there is no connection with terrorism "at this time." A car intentionally plowed into pedestrians at one of Melbourneʼs busiest intersections on Thursday, injuring at least 19 people. The white four-wheel drive hit the pedestrians at the intersection of Flinders and Elizabeth Street around 4:45 p.m. local time (0645 UTC/GMT), Victoria Police said in a statement. The intersection is next to Flinders Street Station.
A Philippine ferry carrying over 250 passengers has capsized off an island south of Manila. Reports suggest at least four people have died as rescue efforts remain ongoing. The Philippine ferry sank off the countryʼs eastern coast on Thursday after being caught in a heavy storm and choppy waters, coast guards said. Officials said that at least four passengers had died in the accident, while between 40 and 88 remained unaccounted for, according to varying media reports. The remaining passengers had been rescued.
In Ukraineʼs war-torn east, 220,000 children are at risk of injury or death by explosives littering the territory. They have caused scores of deaths, and left many children with "lifelong disabilities," says UNICEF. According to areport by the UN childrenʼs agency, UNICEF, published on Thursday, 220,000 children living ineastern Ukraineare at severe risk of serious injury by landmines and other deadly explosives littering the territory. These landmines and other explosives have caused scores of deaths and have left many children with "lifelong disabilities."
UK Prime Minister Theresa Mayʼs most senior minister has resigned after an inquiry found he had made misleading comments about pornography found on his computer. It is a serious blow for an already isolated premier. First Secretary of State Damian Green has resigned amid allegations pornographic material was found on his computer in the House of Commons in 2008. "I regret that Iʼve been asked to resign from the government following breaches of the Ministerial Code, for which I apologize," Green said in a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday.