Slovak PM's 'life in danger' after assassination attempt - CNA

BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico fought for his life on an operating table Wednesday (May 15) after being shot multiple times in what the government called a "political assault".

Surgeons spent hours battling to save the 59-year-old populist leader after the attack that has been condemned around the world.

"The prime minister is in critical condition and his life is in danger and he is still in the operating theatre," Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told reporters at a hospital in the central city of Banska Bystrica.

Footage of events just after the shooting showed security agents grabbing a wounded Fico from the ground and hustling him into a black car that sped away. Other police handcuffed a man on the pavement nearby.

Police had detained a suspect at the site of the attack in Handlova, President Zuzana Caputova told reporters. "I am shocked, we are all shocked by the terrible and heinous attack," she added.

Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak would not give information on the suspect but said: "What has happened is a political assault. It's absolutely clear, and we have to react on that," Kalinak said.

The emotional minister told reporters he hoped that in coming days authorities would "find (out) what's happened. Now I'm just focusing on the status of Robert, on his health."

Fico was shot multiple times, according to a post on his official Facebook page.

"Today, after the government meeting in Handlova, there was an assassination attempt" on Fico, the government said.

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2024-05-15 14:44:00Z
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French police hunt killers in prison van ambush - CNA

INCARVILLE: French police were on Tuesday (May 15) hunting for a group of gunmen who killed two prison officers in an attack at a motorway toll that freed a convict linked to gangland drug killings.

President Emmanuel Macron vowed that everything would be done to find those behind the attack, with the inmate also still at large as well as those who helped him escape.

Two prison officers were killed in the attack and three others wounded, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.

Another was fighting for his life in hospital and two more were receiving critical care, she said.

The incident took place late on Tuesday morning at a road toll in Incarville in the Eure region of northern France.

The inmate was being transported after being questioned by a judge in the regional centre of Rouen in Normandy back to his prison in the town of Evreux.

The prosecutor said the prison van was rammed head-on by a stolen Peugeot vehicle as it went through the toll crossing.

But the prison vehicle was also followed by an Audi from which gunmen emerged who shot at both vehicles in the prison convoy.

"Everything is being done to find the perpetrators of this crime," Macron wrote on X.

"We will be uncompromising," he added, describing the attack as a "shock".

French television channels broadcast footage of the attack taken by surveillance cameras at the toll, showing the vehicle colliding head on with the prison van.

In the video, the doors of the car are flung open and several gunmen dressed in black emerge. A firefight ensues and one individual appears to be guided away from the van by the gunmen.

A vehicle believed to have been used by the attackers was later found as a burned-out wreck at a different location.

"THEY WILL BE PUNISHED"

"These are people for whom life counts for nothing. They will be arrested, they will be judged and they will be punished according to the crime they committed," said Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti.

Hundreds of police and gendarmes have been mobilised to take part in the search, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

The prison officers who died, both men, were the first to be killed in the line of duty since 1992, he added.

One of them was married and had two children while the other "left a wife who is five months pregnant", he said.

Prison officer unions announced a day of minimum service on Wednesday and asked for urgent measures to improve the safety of staff.

Dupond-Moretti said he would meet union representatives Wednesday.

The prison convoy had no police escort, according to a source close to the case.

A unit of the GIGN elite police force has been despatched to try and apprehend the suspects.

"INEXCUSABLE VIOLENCE"

Prosecutor Beccuau named the inmate as Mohamed Amra, born in 1994, saying that last week he had been convicted of aggravated robbery and charged in a case of abduction leading to death.

The case has been handed to prosecutors from France's office for the fight against organised crime, known by their acronym JUNALCO.

But a source close to the case said that Amra was suspected of involvement in drug trafficking and of ordering gangland killings.

Another source said he is suspected of being at the head of a network. Some media said he had the nickname "La Mouche" (the fly).

His lawyer Hugues Vigier said Amra had already made an escape attempt at the weekend by sawing the bars of his cell and said he was shocked by the "inexcusable" and "insane" violence.

"This does not correspond to the impression that I had of him," the lawyer told BFMTV.

The incident came on the same day as the French Senate published a damning report warning that government measures had been unable to prevent the flourishing of the narcotics industry in France.

Committee chairman Jerome Durain said France was "not yet a narco-state" but drug trafficking nonetheless constituted "a direct threat to the national interest" and the government's anti-drugs measures were "not up to the challenge."

Law and order is a major issue in French politics ahead of next month's European elections and the prison van ambush sparked fierce reactions from politicians, especially the far right.

"It is real savagery that hits France every day," said Jordan Bardella, the top candidate for the far-right National Rally (RN) which is leading opinion polls for the elections.

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2024-05-15 14:23:00Z
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CNA Correspondent Podcast: What's in store for cross-strait relations ahead of incoming Taiwan president William Lai's inauguration - CNA

Four months after being elected Taiwan’s next president, William Lai officially takes on the role next week. He’s got a lot on his plate, namely safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Teresa Tang looks at what to expect from him and from Beijing with correspondents Victoria Jen and Olivia Siong. 

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2024-05-14 23:24:00Z
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'Affirmative no': Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim rejects second casino in the country - CNA

DOHA: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said no to a second casino in the country, his latest denial on the matter following recent reports that the government was allegedly mulling over one.

"Affirmative no," Mr Anwar said at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday (May 14), when asked if his administration would allow a second casino in the Southeast Asian nation.

The issue has been in the spotlight since last month, when Bloomberg reported that Malaysia was in early discussions with tycoons on opening a casino in Johor’s beleaguered Forest City property development.

The news was picked up by several Malaysian and foreign media outlets, including Singapore daily The Straits Times, which cited unnamed sources in reporting that the casino was among Malaysia’s proposals for the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ). 

Analysts interviewed by CNA have said the cards are stacked against such a scenario due to it being a hard sell politically and a risky gamble economically, as well as likely having a negative impact on certain bilateral ties.

Mr Anwar, who is also finance minister, said at the forum that Malaysia's current focus areas are adequate to push future growth.

"Malaysia does not have to venture into the (second) casino business. We are focusing on digital transformation, energy transition (and) AI, and we believe these are (among the industries that are) adequate to push the country forward," he said.

The prime minister had already denied late last month any plans to open a casino in Forest City, denouncing the claims as a lie. The businessmen mentioned in the news reports also came out to deny taking part in such a meeting.

Malaysian authorities have charged several people for making seditious remarks in relation to the casino report. On Monday (May 6), local media reported that Malaysian police recorded a statement from Bloomberg journalist Ram Anand over the article.

Malaysia has granted only one casino licence, which was issued to Genting in 1969. The group also has casino operations in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Singapore.

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2024-05-15 04:28:00Z
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Nearly two in three workers in S'pore willing to move overseas for their jobs: Survey - The Straits Times

Of the Singapore workers willing to relocate, 72 per cent are young professionals aged below 30. ST PHOTO: HENG YI-HSIN

SINGAPORE - Nearly two in three Singapore workers are willing to relocate for work, with Australia being the most popular destination, a recent survey found.

This figure of 64 per cent who are willing to move is a marked drop from the 87 per cent in 2018, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of the Singapore workers willing to relocate, 72 per cent are young professionals aged below 30.

The survey findings released on May 14 by jobs portal Jobstreet by Seek also show that South-east Asian and global markets have similar proportions of workers willing to relocate, at 68 and 63 per cent respectively.

Commenting on the findings, Mr David Blasco, general manager at recruitment firm Randstad Singapore, said: “Traditionally, Singaporeans sought opportunities abroad for better remuneration, job satisfaction or a healthier work-life balance.”

But the Covid-19 pandemic changed this significantly, he said. “More companies in Singapore are offering better benefits, initiatives, and reshaping job responsibilities to meet talent expectations, reducing the allure of overseas ventures.”

Similarly, Ms Alyce Cheong, a certified Institute for Human Resource Professionals senior professional, said that Singapore, being home to many regional headquarters and multinational corporations (MNCs), provides workers here with opportunities to advance in their careers locally.

She also noted that the survey sample mainly consists of respondents in their mid-30s to mid-40s, which is a stage in life when individuals begin to start having families of their own, deterring them from moving abroad.

The report was based on a global survey conducted from October to December 2023 of 150,735 people in 188 countries. These included 3,260 respondents from the Singapore workforce, of whom 87 per cent are Singaporean and the rest expatriates.

Among Singapore respondents, those in marketing and media are the most willing to relocate for work. This is followed by those in the digitalisation, data science and artificial intelligence field.

At the other end of the spectrum, the social care and social services industry, and administration and secretariat industry have the lowest proportion of respondents willing to move.

The most popular destination for Singapore workers is Australia, which 33 per cent of respondents ranked in their top three spots, followed by other high-technology economies such as China, Japan and the US.

Jobstreet said neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Thailand are also popular as they are frequent travel destinations for Singapore workers.

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In terms of length of overseas postings, Singapore respondents prefer short-term stints lasting between one and three years. In contrast, the preference among respondents in the wider South-east Asia and Hong Kong region is for medium-term stays lasting more than three years with the intention of returning. Meanwhile, the global average figures show a preference for long-term indefinite stays.

Ms Cheong said Singapore workers’ preference for shorter stays could be “to fulfil familial obligations and be here to nurture the next generation”.

The most prominent factor encouraging Singapore workers to relocate is financial and economic reasons, similar to South-east Asian and global trends. This was cited by 60 per cent of Singapore respondents.

General career considerations such as work experience or job progression are the second strongest reason to move abroad for Singapore, South-east Asian and global workers alike. This is followed by the opportunity for a better overall quality of life.

Better educational and training opportunities proved less of a draw to Singapore respondents, compared with their global peers.

Better social systems and healthcare were cited as a reason to move by 35 per cent of global respondents, while only 24 per cent of Singapore respondents felt the same.

Of the Singapore workers who were not willing to relocate, 66 per cent cited the inability to take family members or life partners as a reason to stay. This is significantly higher than the 55 per cent of the wider pool of respondents in South-east Asia and Hong Kong who cited this reason.

Other reasons to stay as seen by Singapore workers include cost of relocation and concerns about personal safety and security, with 39 per cent of respondents citing each of these factors.

The survey also ranked the most popular work destinations.

To a global workforce, Singapore tops Asian countries as a desirable location to relocate to, and places eighth globally. Better quality of job opportunities was cited as a key reason for relocating to the Republic.

More On This Topic

Most S’poreans prefer to work for global firms but odd shifts a concern: Survey

‘Hi Mum, no dinner for me tonight, I’ll be skydiving in Bangkok’: Gen Z and millennials

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2024-05-14 21:00:00Z
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China launches campaign to halt school bullying, excessive homework - CNA

HONG KONG: China's Ministry of Education said on Tuesday (May 14) it was launching a campaign to address issues including excessive homework and bullying in schools, as part of efforts to boost students' mental health.

The announcement came a day after the ministry said it was carrying out mental health education for teachers and students, with a particular focus on rural migrant children or those "left behind", whose parents work in large cities for much of the year.

The ministry's notice, published on its website, detailed 12 negative practices at schools, including encroachment during scheduled breaks, neglect and tolerance of bullying behaviour.

Beijing has, since 2021, tried to reform the education sector and ease academic pressure on students, clamping down on a US$120 billion private tutoring industry to cut education costs. Many residents have cited high childcare and education costs as reasons not to have children.

The announcements come after the killing of a 13-year-old boy in northern China, whose case triggered a heated media debate over juvenile crime and the plight of children left at home by migrant workers.

Three boys were arrested after they allegedly bullied and killed the student in the small city of Handan on Mar 10.

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2024-05-14 09:22:49Z
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Biden to increase tariffs on $18 billion in Chinese imports in a new warning to Beijing - CNN International

Washington CNN  — 

President Joe Biden is increasing tariffs on $18 billion in Chinese imports across a handful of sectors deemed strategic to national security – an attempt to cripple Beijing’s development of critical technologies and instead prioritize US production.

The increases will apply to imported steel and aluminum, legacy semiconductors, electric vehicles, battery components, critical minerals, solar cells, cranes and medical products. The new tariff rates – which range from 100% on electric vehicles, to 50% for solar components, to 25% for all other sectors – will take place over the next two years.

“China’s using the same playbook it has before to power its own growth at the expense of others,” said Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council. “China’s simply too big to play by its own rules.”

Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, enacted a sweeping tariff program on $300 billion in Chinese imports during his administration, drawing authority from a provision in US trade law that allows tariffs to be used to stifle competition that would threaten national security interests. That same trade law also requires the effectiveness of such tariff programs to be evaluated every four years, and the Biden administration decision is the result of that study. CNN previously reported on the forthcoming changes.

White House officials said they also redrew the parameters of the program to reflect the Biden administration’s policy priorities, most notably the transition to clean energy.

“China can’t be the only country that produces clean technology for the world we need,” a senior administration official said. “We need diversified, not concentrated, production of our most critical goods and technologies. … That’s the kind of dynamic we think will produce resilient supply chains and clean technology.”

Electric vehicles imported from China will see their tariffs more than quadrupled from 27.5% to 100% – a policy lever meant to challenge Beijing’s practice of encouraging aggressively low pricing by domestic EV manufacturers while levying a 40% tariff on US car imports. Chinese manufacturer BYD’s Seagull electric vehicle retails for roughly $10,000, a fraction of what rival American products cost.

“It was important to have a large enough step-up in the tariffs to ensure that we try to level the playing field,” a second senior administration official said.

Beijing has been known to introduce costly counterpunches. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Tuesday that China opposes “the unilateral imposition of tariffs which violate (World Trade Organization) rules, and will take all necessary actions to protect its legitimate rights.”

After Trump unveiled his wide-ranging tariff policy, China slapped tariffs on $101.4 billion in US exports, retaliation that the Brookings Institute estimated affected 294,000 American export-related jobs.

The White House has declined to speculate on how Beijing may hit back now. Officials have pointed to parallel investigations by partners in Europe, Brazil and Turkey as bolstering their position.

“China is producing [goods] at a rate and with a trajectory that’s far in excess of any plausible estimate of global demand,” the first senior administration official said.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken each raised that point with Chinese counterparts during formal visits to the country in April. Administration officials discussed releasing the changes in April to set the stage for a tariff speech Biden delivered mid-month, but ultimately held off to preserve the diplomatic visits, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

On April 17, Biden spoke at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh, calling for a tripling of tariffs Trump placed on certain steel and aluminum products imported from China, and a new investigation into unfair shipbuilding practices. The Chinese government, Biden argued, is providing state money to Chinese steel companies to make more steel than the economy demands, pushing down the price and making it impossible for other companies to compete.

“They’re not competing,” Biden said of China. “They’re cheating.”

It’s a message that plays favorably across the so-called blue wall, the handful of Midwest manufacturing-heavy states that will be critical for either candidate during an election where trade will once again figure prominently.

It played less favorably across the Pacific, with China’s Ministry of Commerce accusing the US of “false accusations” and “wrong practices.”

CNN’s Sam Fossum contributed to this report.

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2024-05-14 09:00:00Z
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