Slovakia’s first female president-elect is an unapologetic liberal who will soon take power in a region increasingly consumed by right-wing populism and anti-European Union sentiment.
Last month, Zuzana Caputova, an accomplished lawyer with no previous political experience, secured 58 percent of the vote in a second round run-off against European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic. She will assume office on June 15, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency, as well as the youngest at 45. Although Slovakia’s president is mostly ceremonial and political power rests with the prime minister, they do have the power to appoint judges and act as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Prior to her electoral victory, Caputova was an activist and anti-corruption lawyer who was well known for fighting against a landfill site in her hometown of Pezinok for more than 10 years.
In a combative presidential election, Caputova campaigned on fighting corruption and restoring civility in Slovak politics, refusing to engage her opponents in political smears, preferring to stay above the fray and focused on the issues she believed most affected voters.
One of the biggest issues facing Slovaks is deeply entrenched public corruption, especially in light of the February 2018 assassination of Jan Kuciak, a journalist who was reporting on graft and links to organized crime at the highest levels of power. The murder prompted mass protests against the government and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico.
The Kuciak murder inspired Caputova to run on a platform of transparency and tackling powerful corrupt elites.
Slovakia's current president Andrej Kiska poses with president-elect Zuzana Caputova at her party's headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia, March 30, 2019. (Reuters)
Also top of her agenda is promoting progressive values, which are currently under assault from conservative nationalists in Eastern Europe.
Caputova defends LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, women’s equality, and supports same-sex unions in a country where same-sex marriage is still illegal.
She has positioned herself as a positive voice while also capitalizing on the anti-establishment mood that is prevalent across the democratic world.
“Caputova’s election happened at a time when voters across Europe are protesting their traditional leaders and supporting political newcomers. Some of them are right-wing and nationalist, which makes them ideologically different from Caputova, but Caputova shares with them the anti-establishment element,” Adriano Bosoni, Senior Europe Analyst at Stratfor, told Fox News.
Even the ruling center-left Smer party has drifted rightward in recent years and has tried to increase its electoral base by appealing to Christian voters.
Caputova's win is even more shocking given the strong tide of right-wing populism and nationalism that has dominated European politics over the last several years, particularly in Eastern Europe following the 2015-2016 refugee crisis.
The likes of Viktor Orban in Hungary and other leaders around Central Europe have exploited the migrant crisis and stoked anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment to stir up their base of support. Caputova, meanwhile, is unafraid of defending her liberal views and represented a sober and rationally based perspective on public policy matters.
Populists championing conservative values such as Orban’s Fidesz Party and Poland under the Law and Justice Party have experienced significant democratic backsliding, with nationalist leaders undermining the rule of law, independent media and civil society organizations, and assaulting the judiciary, while railing against Brussels and E.U. institutions.
Attacks against the E.U. and west have become commonplace for extremist forces that have risen in Eastern Europe. Caputova, on the other hand, has made it clear she supports the E.U., NATO, and western values and considers Slovakia an integral component of the rules-based international order.
Although anti-E.U. parties espousing similar xenophobic and anti-institutionalist rhetoric are expected to win in the upcoming E.U. elections in May, Caputova’s surprise victory is proof that far-right populism based on fear and hate does not have to be the paradigm in Eastern Europe.
“The notable thing about Caputova’s victory is that it shows that moderate candidates can win an election, and that voters will not always turn to far-right or anti-immigration candidates to show their dissatisfaction with the mainstream political parties,” Bosoni said.
Mar 21, 2019; Des Moines, IA, United States; Michigan Wolverines guard Charles Matthews (1) reacts during the first half against the Montana Grizzlies in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
March 22, 2019
Senior guard Charles Matthews recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Michigan to a 74-55 victory over Montana on Thursday in West Region play of the NCAA Tournament at Des Moines, Iowa.
Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis added 14 points, and junior center Jon Teske had 11 points and nine rebounds for the second-seeded Wolverines (29-6). Sophomore guard Jordan Poole scored 10 points, and junior guard Zavier Simpson registered 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Michigan will meet 10th-seeded Florida on Saturday in the second round.
“We will need to play even better than we did today,” Wolverines coach John Beilein told TNT in a postgame interview of his team’s prospects against the Gators.
Junior guard Sayeed Pridgett scored 17 points for the 15th-seeded Grizzlies (26-9). Senior guard Ahmaad Rorie and sophomore guard Timmy Falls added 10 points apiece for Montana, which shot just 33.3 percent from the field and was 6 of 24 from behind the arc.
The Wolverines shot 49 percent from the field, including 5 of 17 from 3-point range.
The game was a rematch of last season’s first-round matchup when the Wolverines beat the Grizzlies 61-47.
Montana scored the first 10 points of last year’s meeting but was never in the contest this time around and trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half.
However, the Grizzlies kept fighting, and they scored the first five points of the second half to move within 34-26.
Michigan answered with 10 consecutive points — five from Matthews — to increase its lead to 18 with 16:11 remaining.
The Wolverines’ advantage reached 20 for the first time when Poole converted a three-point play to make it 57-37 with 8:29 left.
The lead reached 66-39 when sophomore forward Isaiah Livers drained a 3-pointer with 6:01 left, and Michigan cruised to the finish.
Matthews had 11 points and seven rebounds as the Wolverines led 34-21 at the break.
Michigan ran out to a quick 15-4 lead and increased it to 21-6 on Matthews’ basket with 8:26 remaining. A jumper by Matthews two-plus minutes later pushed the margin to 25-8.
Montana missed its first nine 3-point attempts until senior guard Donaven Dorsey buried one with 2:52 remaining in the half. The Grizzlies were 1 of 11 from long distance before intermission.
FILE PHOTO: Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders poses with a A220-300 Airbus replica during the company's annual news conference on 2018 full-year results in Blagnac, near Toulouse, France, February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo
April 9, 2019
By Tim Hepher
PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus dismissed more than 100 people and issued more than 300 warnings for ethics or compliance reasons in 2018, two people familiar with the company data said, as it conducts a wide-ranging internal crackdown and deals with outside fraud probes.
The aerospace group is being investigated by UK and French authorities over suspected corruption dating back over a decade and is in the fifth year of a sweeping internal probe designed to improve its chances of winning favorable settlements.
An Airbus spokesman declined to comment on the figures or give annual comparisons. The dismissals coincided with a sharp increase in the use of an internal whistleblower system, providing a guide to the trend on compliance issues.
Complaints handled by the system almost doubled last year and mostly involved matters covered by ordinary employment law.
The service also handled close to 40 allegations of fraud and half a dozen accusations of bribery. More than 10 of the reported cases involved suspected breaches of export controls, the two people said. Airbus declined to comment.
The company, which employs around 130,000 people worldwide, is under investigation in the United States over suspected violations of export controls and U.S. officials have also kept a close watch on the European bribery probes.
The figures emerged on the eve of a shareholder meeting as some investors worry about Airbus’s exposure to potential fines, which analysts say could run to several billion dollars.
“Airbus shareholders are still waiting for a full disclosure on the allegations of bribery and corruption cases of the past. For the future, Airbus (has) enhanced compliance standards to prevent further incidents and the company seems to be on the right track,” Frankfurt-based fund manager DWS said.
Chief Executive Tom Enders has said Airbus has had to handle management turnover at the same time as a wave of scheduled retirements and acknowledged 2018 had been tough.
“I am today much more optimistic about the company managing these difficult issues than frankly I would have been a year ago,” he told a Feb. 14 news conference.
LAWYER FEES
Airbus is spending more than 100 million euros ($113 million) a year on lawyers to investigate staff to help win a prosecution settlement in Britain and France over the fraud allegations resulting from a system of middlemen it says it abandoned in 2014. It was not clear how many of the dismissals resulted from this drive.
A British judge said in 2017 that companies must present a radically new face and significant co-operation in rooting out their own violations to win a settlement and avoid charges.
The internal probe has led to growing complaints among staff of a witch hunt, people who deal with the company say. Help lines handled around 80 cases of alleged moral harassment, the company data shows.
Industry sources say the internal probe has had a dampening effect on Airbus sales, which slumped last year. Several executives are expected to join a wave of senior departures despite not facing specific accusations, the people said.
Airbus declined to comment.
Staff malaise turned to anger when it was reported last week that Enders retires on Wednesday with a total retirement package of almost 40 million euros over 20 years.
Enders and other individuals are under investigation over the sale of fighters to Austria and has denied wrongdoing.
The Airbus spokesman defended the pension package, which is expected to be raised at an annual meeting on Wednesday.
“There is no golden, silver or bronze parachute. These are contractual obligations that were agreed many years ago.”
Enders is credited with unifying a once fragmented company and improving governance but leaves amid disagreement over his strategy for handling the compliance campaign.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected the notion of impeaching President Trump for overly political reasons.
During an interview with the Washington Post, Pelosi said that impeachment is “too divisive:”
I’m not for impeachment. This is news. I’m going to give you some news right now because I haven’t said this to any press person before. But since you asked, and I’ve been thinking about this: Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.
Of course, that’s not to say Democrats won’t impeach the president if they can get several Republicans to go along with it, but Pelosi is setting a high standard regardless.
This other quote by Pelosi in the interview might explain her reasoning:
[Trump’s] been a great organizer for Democrats, a great fundraiser for Democrats and a great mobilizer at the grass-roots level for Democrats. [Laughs.] And I think that’s good for America.
Some may also suggest that Pelosi doesn’t expect the upcoming Mueller report to contain enough substance for impeachment proceedings.
Bob Woodward, the reporter who broke open the Watergate scandal, has called for the FBI and CIA to be investigated regarding the agencies’ handling of the debunked dossier that formed the basis of the Mueller investigation of the Trump campaign.
During an interview with Fox News’s Chris Wallace, Woodward declared that the dossier authored by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele “has got a lot of garbage in it”.
“What I found out recently, which was really quite surprising, the dossier, which really has got a lot of garbage in it and Mueller found that to be the case, early in building the intelligence community assessment on Russian interference, in an early draft, they actually put the dossier on page two in kind of a breakout box.”
“I think it was the CIA pushing this. Real intelligence experts looked at this and said no, this is not intelligence, this is garbage and they took it out,” Woodward added.
“But in this process, the idea that they would include something like that in one of the great stellar intelligence assessments, as Mueller also found out, is highly questionable.” he added, saying that it “Needs to be investigated.”
Last week, President Trump slammed the FBI, stating that the intelligence agency conspired against his presidential campaign.
Wow! FBI made 11 payments to Fake Dossier’s discredited author, Trump hater Christopher Steele. @OANN@JudicialWatch The Witch Hunt has been a total fraud on your President and the American people! It was brought to you by Dirty Cops, Crooked Hillary and the DNC.
Trump addressed the ‘fake’ dossier, which was funded in part by Fusion GPS, a political intelligence firm working for the DNC, calling it a “total fraud on your President and the American people!”
He also took aim at “Crooked Hillary” noting that eleven payments were made to the former to British spy Steele by the FBI in 2016.
Judicial Watch is suing for communication and payment records between the FBI, Steele, and his private firm, Orbis Business Intelligence.
BREAKING: JW announced today that it filed a FOIA lawsuit against the DOJ for records of communications and payments between the FBI & former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and his private firm, Orbis Business Intelligence (1/3).https://t.co/OuMuIGgvpf
This undated file photo provided by Cambria County Prison shows Dr. Johnnie Barto. The former Pennsylvania pediatrician is scheduled for sentencing Monday, March 18, 2019, in the sexual assault of 31 children, most of them patients. (Cambria County Prison via AP, File)
EBENSBURG, Pa. – The Latest on pediatrician's sentencing for sexually assaulting 31 children (all times local):
12:40 p.m.
A former Pennsylvania pediatrician has been sentenced to at least 79 years in prison for sexually assaulting 31 children, most of them patients.
Dr. Johnnie Barto of Johnstown was sentenced Monday on dozens of counts, including aggravated indecent assault and child endangerment. Prosecutors say the 71-year-old spent decades abusing children in the exam room at his pediatric practice and at local hospitals.
Nineteen people gave victim impact statements both in person and through a prosecutor ahead of the sentencing. They described how he destroyed their lives, caused them to feel hopelessness and made them fear doctors.
His wife, Linda Barto, was among them. She says he "spent his whole sinister life lying and sneaking around so he could carry on his abuse uninterrupted."
The attorney general's office had asked for 31 to 62 years in prison.
___
12:05 p.m.
Victims of a former Pennsylvania pediatrician have given statements before his sentencing in the sexual assault of 31 children, describing how he destroyed their lives, caused them to feel hopelessness and made them fear doctors.
Dr. Johnnie Barto of Johnstown will be sentenced on dozens of counts, including aggravated indecent assault and child endangerment. Prosecutors say he spent decades abusing children in the exam room at his pediatric practice and at local hospitals.
On Monday, he was deemed a sexually violent predator before the sentencing hearing began.
Nineteen people then gave victim impact statements both in person and through a prosecutor.
His wife, Linda Barto, was among them. She says he "spent his whole sinister life lying and sneaking around so he could carry on his abuse uninterrupted."
The attorney general's office is asking for 31 to 62 years in prison.
Barto declined to make a statement.
___
1 a.m.
A former Pennsylvania pediatrician is scheduled for sentencing Monday in the sexual assault of 31 children, most of them patients.
Dr. Johnnie Barto of Johnstown will be sentenced on dozens of counts, including aggravated indecent assault and child endangerment. Prosecutors say he spent decades abusing children in the exam room at his pediatric practice and at local hospitals.
Barto appeared before the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine nearly two decades ago on administrative charges that he molested two young girls. But regulators threw out the case and allowed him to keep practicing medicine. Prosecutors say the 71-year-old doctor went on to molest at least a dozen more young patients before his arrest in January 2018.
Barto has pleaded guilty to some counts and no contest to others. He's been jailed pending sentencing.
PADUCAH, Ky. – Authorities say a Michigan youth basketball coach accused of punching a Kentucky referee, knocking him unconscious, has been charged with assault.
News outlets cite a statement from the McCracken County sheriff's office in Kentucky that says 40-year-old Keyon Menifield of Flint, Michigan, had a disagreement Saturday with the referee, 61-year-old Kenny Culp of Paducah. The statement says Culp turned to walk away when Menifield struck him.
Culp was taken to a hospital for treatment, and deputies charged Menifield with assault of a sports official. It wasn't immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Culp's niece, KaSondra Barnett, said on Sunday that he was being treated for a broken collarbone, a crack in his sinus cavity, and a concussion.
McCracken County Sheriff Matt Carter says the investigation is ongoing.
South Africa’s 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston, South Africa, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
April 26, 2019
GERMISTON, South Africa (Reuters) – Olympic 400 meters champion Wayde van Niekerk has backed South African compatriot Caster Semenya in her battle with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which now appears to have taken a new twist.
Semenya, a double 800 meters Olympic gold medalist, is waiting for the outcome of her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to halt the introduction of new regulations by governing body IAAF that would require her to take medicine to limit her natural levels of testosterone.
The IAAF wants female athletes with differences of sexual development who run in events from 400 meters to a mile, to reduce their blood testosterone level to below five (5) nmol/L for a period of six months before they can compete, saying they have an unfair advantage.
“She’s fighting for something beyond just track and field, she’s fighting for woman in sports, in society and I respect her for that,” Van Niekerk told reporters.
“I will support her and with the hard work and talent that she’s been putting into the sport. With what she believes in and what she’s dreaming for, I’ve got a lot of respect for her.
“I really hope and pray that everything just goes from strength to strength for her.”
Semenya has sprung a surprise at the on-going South African Athletics Championships though, ditching the 800 meters and instead competing over 1,500 and 5,000-metres – the latter one would not require her to medically lower her testosterone level.
She stormed to victory in the 5,000-metres final in a modest time of 16:05.97, but looked to have lots left in the tank as she passed the finish line.
Semenya beat fellow Olympian and defending national 5,000m champion Dominique Scott in Thursday’s final but the latter admitted she is unsure whether the 800m specialist could be a serious Olympic contender over the longer distance.
“Honestly‚ I have no idea‚” Scott said. “Before today I probably would have said no. It’s hard to compare a 5,000 at altitude to a 5,000 at sea level.
“But I think she’s an amazing runner and I don’t think there’s any limit or ceiling on what she can do.”
Van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder, had to abort his comeback from a knee injury, that had sidelined him for 18 months, following a combination of cold weather and a wet track.
“We are trying to take the correct decisions now early in the year so as not to put myself in any harm,” he said.
“It was a bit chilly this entire week prepping and coming through here as well it was quite cold and it caused bit of tightness in my leg. We decided to not risk it.
“My recovery is going well and I would like to be back in competition this year, but will only do so if I can deliver a good performance.
“I am a competitor and respect my opponents, so I need to be at my best when I return.”
(Reporting by Nick Said, additional reporting by Siyabonga Sishi; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
The suspected leader of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka died in the Shangri-La hotel, one of six hotels and churches targeted in the attacks that killed at least 250 people, authorities said.
Police said Mohamed Zahran, leader of the National Towheed Jamaat militant group, had been killed in one of the bombings. The group’s second in command was also arrested, police said.
Zahran amassed an online following for his hate-filled sermons. Some were delivered before a banner depicting the Twin Towers.
Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people. (YouTube)
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that the attackers responsible for the bombings were supported by the Islamic State group. Around 140 people in Sri Lanka had connections to ISIS, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said.
“We will completely control this and create a free and peaceful environment for people to live,” he said.
Investigators determined the attackers received military training from someone called “Army Mohideen.” They also received weapons training overseas and at some locations in Sri Lanka, according to authorities.
A copper factory operator arrested in connection with the bombings helped Mohideen make improvised explosive devices, police said. The bombings have led to increased security throughout the island nation as authorities warned of another attack.
KATHMANDU, Nepal – A Malaysian mountain climber was being treated in a hospital in Nepal’s capital Friday after being stranded nearly two days alone near the summit of Annapurna.
A helicopter crew searching for the missing climber on Thursday spotted Wui Kin Chin waving his hands at them, and rescuers brought him down to a lower camp.
At the time of his rescue, Chin had been without an oxygen bottle, food and water for over 40 hours, said Mingma Sherpa, the head of Seven Summit Treks, which arranged his expedition.
Chin was flown to the capital, Kathmandu, on Friday and taken to a hospital, where his wife joined him.
Chin is an anesthesiologist and accomplished climber, and Sherpa credited Chin’s medical knowledge and familiarity with mountains for keeping him alive.
“It’s a big thing to stay alive in that altitude without food, water, and oxygen,” Sherpa said. He described Chin on Thursday as fine but not in condition to walk.
Chin was a part of a 13-member expedition led by a French climber and was separated from the others during the descent.
The 8,091-meter (26,545-foot) Mount Annapurna is the ninth tallest mountain in Nepal and the 10th tallest in the world. It’s considered an especially treacherous mountain due to its difficult terrain and weather conditions.
Spanish Prime Minister and Socialist Party candidate Pedro Sanchez applauds to supporters during an election campaign event in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Spain is preparing to hold its third parliamentary election in less than four years. But even though the exercise is familiar, uncertainty surrounds the election’s outcome. Polls indicate a substantial share of voters, about one-third, hadn’t decided by the final week of campaigning how they would mark their ballots on Sunday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
MADRID – Spain’s prime minister says he’s open to a coalition with an anti-austerity party, hinting for the first time at a possible center-left governing alliance after Sunday’s national election.
In an interview published Friday by El Pais newspaper, Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez says “it isn’t a problem” for the far-left United We Can to become part of his Cabinet if he wins the tight race.
With Spain’s electoral law banning polls during the last week of campaigning, it’s unclear if the two parties will emerge strong enough in the lower house of parliament or whether a right-wing alliance could assemble a majority.
Sánchez is calling on Spaniards to cast a “useful vote” and has warned that the rise of the far right in polls could be underestimated given the large pool of undecided voters.
FILE PHOTO: KPN logo is seen at its headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands, January 30, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
April 26, 2019
By Bart H. Meijer and Toby Sterling
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch telecom firm Royal KPN NV said on Friday it would select a Western supplier to build its core 5G mobile network, making it one of the first European operators to make clear it would not pick China’s Huawei for such work.
The United States has been seeking to discourage its allies from using equipment made by Huawei because of concerns that it could eventually be used for Chinese government spying. Huawei says such worries are baseless and U.S. policy is driven by economic interests.
The Hague-based KPN, the Netherlands’ largest telecom firm, said its decision took into account “the evolving assessment on the protection of vital infrastructure and the influence this may have on future Dutch policy.”
The Dutch government has not taken a decision on the issue.
KPN, which also reported on Friday slightly worse than expected first quarter core earnings of 563 million euros ($627 million), said it would still use equipment made by Huawei in some capacities.
In addition, the company announced a preliminary deal with Huawei to upgrade existing mobile telecommunications gear to make it safer. Huawei has been a key supplier to KPN in the past decade.
The Dutch government set up a task force with KPN and other major operators in the Netherlands this month to analyze the “vulnerability of 5G telecommunications networks to misuse by technology vendors … and measures needed to manage risks.”
KPN said it would use equipment made by Huawei, which it described as a world leader in radio and antenna technology, to improve security on its existing network.
“This preliminary agreement can be adjusted or reversed to align it with future Dutch government policy,” it added.
Sources told Reuters on Wednesday that Britain’s National Security Council (NSC) had decided to bar Huawei from core parts of the country’s 5G network and restrict its access to non-core areas.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Edmund Blair)
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