‘He is borrowing from Trump’: the rise of Robert Fico, Slovakia’s populist leader

The veteran politician shot and wounded on Wednesday, is a fan of Viktor Orbán and has embraced ever more extreme positions to retain power

Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, who was shot and wounded on Wednesday, is a burly and brash political veteran known for his attacks on the media, NGOs and prosecutors.

Having enjoyed three previous stints as prime minister, Fico, 59, is well known to voters and observers – and critics, who accuse him of seeking to emulate Viktor Orbán, his friend in neighbouring Hungary, by trying to undermine checks and balances and cement his power while also taking a friendlier stance toward Russia.

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despite their heroic victory against Honduras, Les Bleuets are eliminated for a small goal

After a disastrous start to the competition marked by two defeats against South Korea (2-1) and Gambia (2-1), Les Bleuets faced Honduras. A decisive match for Landry Chauvin’s players who played their survival during this third and last day of the group stage of group F of the U20 World Cup which is currently taking place in Argentina. While the two teams went blow for blow with hot situations on both sides of the field, Ousmane Camara was sent off just before the end of the first quarter of an hour following a foul on Daniel Carter. The young French shoots were therefore already at ten after only 15 short minutes of play (13th). After this fault and the expulsion of the French defender, Honduras had a good free kick full axis near the French surface. What’s next after this ad Odin Ramos then sent a missile into the right corner of Thimothée Lo-Tutala, beaten (15th, 1-0). Les Bleuets took a real blow on the head with this opener and it was necessary to wait several minutes before...

‘History makers’: elated Elokobi says Maidstone deserve ‘every bit of glory’

Stones’ manager hails ‘historic’ FA Cup win over Ipswich ‘Absolutely amazing celebrations … The gods were with us’ George Elokobi urged his “history makers” to enjoy their extraordinary achievement after Maidstone United reached the FA Cup fifth round for the first time. The National League South club won their seventh match in this season’s competition to dump Ipswich out at Portman Road. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/hS4i0J8 via IFTTT

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 723

Ukraine troops reinforce Avdiivka as some defenders withdraw to better positions; lack of US aid already affecting battlefield, says Nato chief See all our Ukraine war coverage US congressional delaying of fresh military aid for Ukraine is already having an impact on the battlefield, Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has warned at a defence ministers’ meeting. Jens Stoltenberg said he still believed Congress would eventually approve the stalled $60bn (£50bn) package. Ukraine has said its economy should be rebuilt using frozen Russian assets after a report showed the cost of reconstruction increasing to almost $500bn . An estimated $300bn of Russian assets have been frozen since the war started. The EU, US and western allies are debating how they can be used to benefit Ukraine. Ukraine is conducting a manoeuvre in Avdiivka to withdraw troops in some areas to “more advantageous positions”, a military spokesman said. At the same time, Ukraine has brought in reinforceme...

PSG: Mbappé at the heart of an improbable clash its heating up!

Graduated from the School of Journalism in Paris. Specialized in football, and more particularly on the transfer window. Fan of PSG and Stade Français. Very close to Achraf Hakimi for two years now at PSG, Kylian Mbappé has forged a very special bond with the Moroccan right side. However, the agent of the latter attacks in a rather virulent way the mother of Mbappé, triggering a clash of clans for the less unexpected at PSG. Recruited at a high price by the PSG during the transfer window summer 2021 from Inter-Milan (68M€), Ashraf Hakimi quickly befriended Kylian Mbappe , and the two men are very close. A relationship that reached its climax during the World Cup in Qatar last winter, on the occasion of the shock France-Morocco in the semi-finals, during which Mbappe And Hakimi had not concealed their emotion in the confrontation. But an earthquake may come to upset the relationship between the two stars of the PSG . Mbappé – PSG: It’s confirmed, Qatar wants to compl...

Ukraine war briefing: Bomb shatters historic landmark in Kharkiv

Prized Derzhprom building in Kharkiv damaged in attacks injuring 19; North Korean foreign minister heads to Russia as Nato chief says Kim Jong-un’s troops are in Kursk. What we know on day 979 See all our Ukraine war coverage A Russian guided bomb attack on Kharkiv on Monday shattered much of the Derzhprom building, one of the most celebrated landmarks in Ukraine’s second city , dating from the 1920s and noted by Unesco. Six people were injured in the 9pm strike, adding to 13 wounded in an earlier overnight bomb attack on the city. Eight were hurt in a rocket attack in the city of Chuhuiv just to the south-east, officials said. In the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, a Russian missile struck a three-storey residential building, killing one person and wounding at least 11 . Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, deplored the attack on his home town, as well as on Kharkiv, and called for renewed efforts to force Vladimir Putin to halt the war. In the southern Kherson reg...

Deadly cancer treatment delays now ‘routine’ in NHS, say damning reports

Studies sound alarm at state of cancer care with hundreds of thousands waiting months to start essential treatment Hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to wait months to start essential cancer treatment, with deadly delays now “routine” and even children struck by the disease denied vital support, according to a series of damning reports. Health chiefs, charities and doctors have sounded the alarm over the state of cancer care in the UK as three separate studies painted a shocking picture of long waits and NHS staff being severely hampered by a worsening workforce crisis and a chronic lack of equipment. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zjCTq1V via IFTTT

PSG wants Mbappé its confirmed

Learning that Kylian Mbappé did not want to extend to PSG made the Parisian leaders sweat. A player agent has just confirmed it. The showdown would therefore be very real between Kylian Mbappé and PSG. The leaders of the French champion club would have been surprised at the decision of their best player not to extend beyond June 30, 2024. ” I spoke with people close to the Qatari family who run the club and they told me they were very angry confided Marco Kirdemir to brand in comments reported by RMC Sports. They had confidence in the fact that he was going to extend. The emir is very upset . » Read also – PSG: Mbappé in Liverpool, the crazy offer at 300 million Two weeks ago, this players’ agent assured that Mbappé would wear the Real Madrid shirt next season. This same Marco Kirdemir conceded, still to brand that the Spanish club was not the only one in the ranks. The attitude of the Parisian leaders had already been reported by the French press two weeks ago, in the hour...

Neymar: He sends a punchline to the new PSG coach!

Graduated from the School of Journalism in Paris. Specialized in football, and more particularly on the transfer window. Fan of PSG and Stade Français. Expected by PSG, Luis Enrique is preparing to be appointed as coach in place of Christophe Galtier this summer. The Spanish coach has already convinced Neymar and Marco Verratti to stay at the Parc des Princes this summer, but Daniel Riolo wonders about it and issues a warning to PSG. It’s no longer a secret, Luis Enrique will be the next coach of the PSG and an agreement has been reached between the Spanish technician and the management of the capital club, which has already programmed the departure of Christopher Galtier . As L’EQUIPE revealed on Tuesday, Enrique would already have a strong impact on the transfer window of the PSG since Neymar And Marco Verratti who were initially announced on the departure, would have finally decided to stay at the Parc des Princes with this appointment of Luis Enrique who greatly ap...

Ukraine war briefing: Villages locked down in Putin’s Belgorod ‘sanitary zone’

Czech ammunition factory for Ukraine; Baltic states to cut electrical grid ties with Russia and Belarus. What we know on day 875 Russia has been forced to lock down 14 border villages in its Belgorod region due to the Ukrainian fightback against Russian attacks on the Kharkiv region across the border. “From July 23 we are restricting access to 14 residential settlements where the operational situation is extremely difficult,” said the Belgorod governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. Vladimir Putin launched a May ground offensive on the north-eastern Kharkiv region that he said was intended to create a buffer or “sanitary zone” to protect the Belgorod region but it has instead come under continued shelling and drone attacks from Ukraine, with frequent fatalities, while Russian successes in the Kharkiv region have been limited. The chief of Russia’s general staff, Valery Gerasimov, thanked Russian forces on Tuesday for capturing the village of Urozhaine in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, R...

Should I validate my teen daughters’ concerns, or support their father as a co-parent? | Leading questions

This is a common parenting dilemma, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith . Find a way to hear your daughters without turning this into a proxy-fight Is it more important to validate and empathise with my teens about their difficult relationship with their dad, stepmum and stepbrother; or support him as a co-parent, even though I can see the damage it is doing? I have two teenage daughters, 14 and 16, who have a fractious relationship with their dad and his family. He approaches parenting in an authoritarian way and I can see the negative impact this has on our daughters’ self-esteem and self worth. They are delightful young people and I am very proud of how thoughtful, intelligent and individual they are – the horror stories of parenting teens are not something that I have to worry about and I have an open, respectful relationship with them. Because of this, they often come to me, together and separately, about the problems they have with their dad, stepmum and stepbrother. ...

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US military strikes another boat in Pacific, bringing death toll above 200