Czech election: Milos Zeman in intensive care after vote - BBC News

Czech presidential press office

Czech President Milos Zeman has been taken to hospital amid political upheaval after a surprise opposition win in parliamentary elections.

The 77-year-old is a heavy smoker and former heavy drinker who uses a wheelchair and suffers from diabetes.

He was due to lead talks on forming a new government after Saturday's vote.

Prague's Central Military Hospital director said Mr Zeman was in intensive care for complications from a known condition.

"We know the diagnosis precisely, which allows us to target treatment," director Miroslav Zavoral said, but added that he would not give any further details per the president's request.

Mr Zeman's office has previously said he is suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, after spending eight days in hospital last month.

The president was taken to hospital from the presidential chateau outside the capital Prague on Sunday morning, shortly after a meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

Footage broadcast by Czech media show staff holding up his head as he entered the hospital.

When President Zeman spent eight days in hospital in September, journalists asked the president's mercurial spokesman Jiri Ovcacek for an official explanation. For two days there was no response. Finally, the silence was broken with the following cryptic tweet:

"I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about": Psalm 3, 5-7.

It is fair to say that the Czech journalistic community - some of whom are blacklisted by the president's office - has developed a certain degree of scepticism at the official statements emanating from Prague Castle.

For weeks we have been told September's visit was a scheduled one, to treat exhaustion and dehydration.

But last week several media outlets - including the country's public broadcaster, Czech Radio - quoted seven independent sources familiar with his condition who said he was suffering from ascites, a build-up of abdominal fluid usually associated with cirrhosis of the liver. Mr Zeman has been a heavy drinker throughout his life.

Mr Ovcacek released a statement dismissing the claims as lies and disinformation, motivated by political activism and hatred of Mr Zeman.

But distressing footage of the president being wheeled into hospital - apparently unconscious, his head held up by a bodyguard and his wife and daughter with him - will do nothing to allay public concerns, at a time of political vacuum.

Prime Minister Babis and his populist ANO party had sought re-election on Saturday after four years in power. But they were beaten in the poll by the centre-right coalition Spolu (meaning Together), which took 27.8% of the vote compared to ANO's 27.1%.

Spolu has announced talks with the liberal Pirates/Mayors coalition known as PirStan to form a government. Together the two groups control 108 of the parliament's 200 seats.

However President Zeman said before the election he would pick the winner of the largest individual party, not coalition, to form the next government.

Because ANO took the most votes of any one party, this would be Prime Minister Babis - an ally of President Zeman's.

The president announced his plan to vote for the billionaire prime minister ahead of the poll. Due to his ill health however, a ballot box had to be brought to him so he could take part in Saturday's election.

According to Reuters news agency, the Czech constitution grants the lower house of the parliament the authority to appoint the prime minister if the presidential position is vacated.

A controversial figure, Mr Zeman is known for making divisive remarks and using strong language. In June he was sharply criticised for calling transgender people "disgusting".

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2021-10-10 14:30:28Z
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Taiwan won't bow to China pressure, leader says - BBC News - BBC News

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2021-10-10 14:48:14Z
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Iraqi voters head to the polls in test for democratic system - Al Jazeera English

Iraqis headed to the polls for an early election billed as a concession to anti-government protests but one expected to be boycotted by many voters who distrust official promises of reform.

Polls opened at 7:00am (04:00 GMT) on Sunday but few voters turned up early at one polling station at a school in the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

“I have come to vote to change the country for the better, and to change the current leaders who are incompetent,” said Jimand Khalil, 37, who was one of the first to cast her vote. “They made a lot of promises to us but didn’t bring us anything.”

Security was tight in the capital, with voters searched twice at the entrance to polling stations.

Airports have been closed until dawn on Monday across Iraq, where despite the government’s declaration of victory over the ISIL (ISIS) group in late 2017, sleeper cells continue to mount attacks.

“Iraqis should have the confidence to vote as they please, in an environment free of pressure, intimidation and threats,” the UN mission in Iraq said ahead of the polls.

Polls remain open until 6:00pm, with preliminary results expected within 24 hours of closing. Dozens of election observers deployed by the European Union and the United Nations were set to monitor the vote.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi cast his ballot early in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone.

“This is an opportunity for change,” he said.

“Get out there and vote, change your reality, for Iraq and for your future,” urged al-Kadhimi, whose political future hangs in the balance, with few observers willing to predict who will come out on top after the lengthy backroom haggling that usually follows Iraqi elections.

Analysts have predicted a record-low turnout for the polls, held a year early in a rare concession to the youth-led protest movement.

Dozens of anti-government activists have been killed, kidnapped or intimidated over the last two years, with accusations that pro-Iran armed groups, many of which are represented in parliament, have been behind the violence.

Reporting from Baghdad, Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed said the expectations of low turnout are widely based on disillusionment among people, especially the youth.

“Most of the disillusioned are those who rose up against corruption and mismanagement in 2019 in what is known as the Tishreen [October] revolution,” he said.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in October 2019 to express their anger at corruption, unemployment and crumbling public services, and hundreds lost their lives in protest-related violence.

The protests have largely fizzled out as anger has given way to disillusion.

“The people are boycotting the elections because they say it is not bringing any change; it is still producing the same old parties despite the fact that the same old parties have been reshuffling their candidates,” Abdelwahed said.

“Nothing will change. This election will be won by the same factions that people protested against,” 45-year-old Baghdad day labourer Mohammed Kassem, who did not intend to vote, told the AFP news agency.

(Al Jazeera)

‘Musical chairs’

At least 167 parties and more than 3,200 candidates are competing for Iraq’s 329 seats in parliament, according to the country’s election commission.

Iraqi elections are often followed by months of protracted negotiations over a president, a prime minister and a cabinet.

A new single-member constituency system for electing Iraq’s politicians is supposed to weaken the power of the traditional blocs largely based on religious, ethnic and clan affiliations.

But most analysts believe it will make the political process even less accountable.

Officials say a new voting law, also a response to protester demands, will help independent, pro-reform candidates, but that will depend on turnout.

Many Iraqis say they will boycott the vote. They view the democratic system ushered in after the US invasion as flawed and serving only the political parties that have dominated the state since then.

(Al Jazeera)

The electoral commission said it expects to publish preliminary results within 24 hours of the close of polls.

It will likely take longer for the balance of power to emerge as the leading factions compete for the support of a larger number of independents.

The Fateh Alliance, the bloc representing many Iran-backed Shia militias, is expected to retain its share of seats.

The list of populist leader Muqtada al-Sadr, already the largest in the outgoing parliament, is expected to make gains but not enough to dominate the Shia camp.

“The election will likely result in another fragmented parliament, followed by opaque, corrupt horse-trading among factions to form the next government,” said researchers Bilal Wahab and Calvin Wilder in an analysis published by the Washington Institute.

“Few expect this election to amount to more than a game of musical chairs, and the (October 2019 protest) movement’s core demands – curbing systemic corruption, creating jobs and holding armed groups accountable – are unlikely to be met.”

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2021-10-10 07:41:15Z
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Sixteen killed as plane carrying skydivers crashes in central Russia - Sky News

A plane carrying skydivers has crashed shortly after take off in central Russia on Sunday, killing 16 people and injuring six, the Emergencies Ministry said.

The aircraft had 20 parachutists and two crew members on board when it came down near the city of Menzelinsk, some 600 miles east of Moscow.

Six people were pulled alive from the wreckage and remain in a serious condition, the Health Ministry said.

Image: Emergency specialists were called to the crash site of the L-410 plane in the Republic of Tatarstan. Pic: Russia's Emergencies Ministry via Reuters

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The RIA agency cited local authorities as saying one of the engines could have failed.

Photographs of some of the parachutists on board posing in the gear or with a plane were circulated on the REN TV channel and on social media.

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The L-410, a Czech-made twin-engine short-range transport aircraft, was owned by an aeroclub in the city of Menzelinsk, the TASS news agency reported.

The state-run Cosmonaut Training Facility has suspended its ties with the aeroclub pending an investigation, according to a source cited by TASS.

Russian aviation safety standards have been strengthened in recent years but accidents continue to happen, particularly in remote regions.

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2021-10-10 11:25:06Z
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Austria: Chancellor Sebastian Kurz steps down to 'refute and disprove' corruption allegations - Sky News

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has announced he is stepping down after being accused of corruption.

The 35-year-old and close associates allegedly tried to secure his leadership of the conservative Austrian People's Party, and of the country, with the aid of manipulated polls and friendly reports in the media, financed with public money.

He denies any wrongdoing and said he will "refute and disprove the accusations that have been made".

Mr Kurz added that the allegations, revealed by prosecutors on Wednesday, are "false and I will be able to clear this up - I am deeply convinced of that".

He will remain very active in politics, staying on as his party's leader while also heading its parliamentary grouping.

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Image: Mr Kurz says he wanted to 'prevent chaos'

His departure from the top job was precipitated by his party's junior coalition partner, the Greens, who said on Friday that he could not stay on, while demanding that his party nominate someone "irreproachable" to replace him.

Austria's three opposition parties had all demanded his resignation, and there were plans to bring a no-confidence motion against him in parliament on Tuesday.

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Mr Kurz has suggested that foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg replace him as chancellor - something the Greens are yet to respond to.

He told reporters that Austria needed "stable conditions", adding: "So, in order to resolve the stalemate, I want to make way to prevent chaos and ensure stability."

Mr Kurz's first coalition, with the far-right Freedom Party, collapsed in 2019. He decided to break the agreement after a video emerged showing the Freedom Party's leader at the time, Heinz-Christian Strache, appearing to offer favours to a purported Russian investor.

Mr Kurz assumed office again in January 2020 after snap elections.

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2021-10-09 20:11:59Z
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Fuel shortage forces shutdown of main Lebanese power plants - Al Jazeera English

Deir Ammar and Zahrani power plants stop functioning as a result of running out of diesel, prompting sporadic protests.

Beirut, Lebanon – The two main power plants in crisis-hit Lebanon have gone out of commission, effectively stopping all state electricity in the country.

The shutdown on Saturday of the Deir Ammar and Zahrani plants, which have generated very limited electricity in recent months, took place due to a diesel fuel shortage, sources said.

Residents of Halba in the northern Akkar province protested at the regional office of the state-run producer Electricite du Liban (EDL). In nearby Tripoli, angry residents blocked roads with cars and burning tyres after power cuts worsened water shortages.

“There is no fuel and limited generation, so the variation in frequency is ruining the grid,” Marc Ayoub, energy researcher at the American University of Beirut’s Issam Fares Institute, told Al Jazeera. “It’s happened about 16 times over the past two weeks because generation is too little compared to what is needed for the grid to reach stability.”

EDL has been generating less than 200 megawatts of electricity.

Local media reported the authorities were scrambling to secure fuel from their reserve stock to partially resupply state electricity to several affected areas.

EDL said in a statement that a fuel shipment will arrive Saturday night and will be unloaded early next week to raise power plant capacities to 500 megawatts. Another fuel shipment from an Iraq deal will arrive later this month. In the meantime, EDL said it is communicating with oil facilities in Tripoli and Zahrani to purchase a limited amount of fuel to supply the power plants for the next few days.

The development in Lebanon’s ongoing electricity crisis comes about a week after two floating Turkish power barges off the coast stopped generating power after the expiration of a government contract.

EDL continues to struggle financially to secure fuel to run its power plants. Throughout the year, it has relied on cash advances from the central bank and other stopgap measures to stay functional.

Lebanon’s ongoing electricity woes have exacerbated a crippling economic and financial crisis that plunged three-quarters of the population into poverty and devalued the Lebanese pound by almost 90 percent.

The fuel crisis has paralysed much of public life, forcing much of the population to rely almost entirely on expensive private generators to keep the lights on. Hospitals have struggled as well, fearing the safety of their patients.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has delivered shipments of Iranian fuel into the country via Syria through illegal border crossings. Meanwhile, the Lebanese government continues to talk with their Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian counterparts to implement a plan that would provide the country with electricity through Egyptian natural gas.

Lebanon has also secured a swap deal with the Iraqi government for high sulfur fuel in exchange for medical services, where Lebanon would then exchange the fuel with a supply that is compatible with its power plants.

Lebanon’s ineffective electricity sector is also extremely expensive. In a May 2020 presentation to international donors, the government estimated that the electricity sector costs about $1.6bn in public funds every year, though some reports say it can bleed up to $2bn. That is about 3 percent of the country’s entire economy, and experts have told Al Jazeera it makes up for almost half of the cash-strapped country’s public debt.

However, any serious reform has been obstructed by corruption and vested interests among the country’s handful of political parties, according to the experts.

Lebanon’s recently-appointed Prime Minister Najib Mikati said one of his priorities was to resolve the country’s crippling fuel crisis, and to resume negotiations for an International Monetary Fund-approved programme to recover the country’s battered economy.

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2021-10-09 13:25:10Z
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping vows 'reunification' with Taiwan - BBC News - BBC News

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2021-10-09 14:48:40Z
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