Victory, Czech!

Betty Henderson

THE hotly­contested Czech leadership election came to an end on Friday, January 27, with former army general, NATO commander and prowestern politician, Petr Pavel sweeping to power.

Pavel won the election with 58.3 per cent of votes, a landslide victory over rival and former Prime Minister, Andrej Babiš who won 41.68 per cent of the vote. The result is the most decisive victory ever recorded in a Czech leadership election.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appears to have

THE Norwegian Ambassador to Turkey is the latest diplomat to have been summoned by the country over Quran protests. Police in Oslo banned a planned protest in the country’s capital on Thursday, February 2 over security concerns.

Police stepped in in response to reports that a group of protestors planned been a key factor in making voters’ minds up in this year’s elections. Pavel’s victory over Babiš, a populist billionaire, has been widely seen as a victory for liberal democracy.