
-
EU hails 'new era' in relations with Central Asia
-
US hiring beats expectations in March as tariff uncertainty brews
-
'Unique' De Bruyne one of the greats, says Guardiola
-
Automakers shift gears after Trump tariffs
-
Where things stand in the US-China trade war
-
De Bruyne to leave Man City at end of the season
-
Youthful Matildas provide spark in friendly win over South Korea
-
Stocks, oil extend rout as China retaliates over Trump tariffs
-
De Bruyne says he will leave Man City at end of season
-
UK spy agency MI5 reveals fruity secrets in new show
-
Leverkusen's Wirtz to return 'next week', says Alonso
-
England bowler Stone to miss most of India Test series
-
Taiwan earmarks $2.7 bn to help industries hit by US tariffs
-
Rat earns world record for sniffing landmines in Cambodia
-
Elton John says new album 'freshest' since 1970s
-
EU announces 'new era' in relations with Central Asia
-
Greece nixes Acropolis shoot for 'Poor Things' director
-
'Historic moment': South Koreans react to Yoon's dismissal
-
Israel kills Hamas commander in Lebanon strike
-
Trump unveils first $5 million 'gold card' visa
-
Crashes, fires as Piastri fastest in chaotic second Japan GP practice
-
India and Bangladesh leaders meet for first time since revolution
-
Israel expands ground offensive in Gaza
-
Families of Duterte drug war victims demand probe into online threats
-
Stocks extend global rout after Trump's shock tariff blitz
-
Kolkata's Iyer more bothered about impact than price tag
-
BP chairman to step down after energy strategy reset
-
Indian patriotic movie 'icon' Manoj Kumar dies aged 87
-
China floats battle barges in Taiwan invasion plans
-
McLaren's Piastri fastest in chaotic second Japanese GP practice
-
South Korea seize two tons of cocaine in largest-ever drug bust
-
Pacific nations perplexed, worried by Trump tariffs
-
The race to save the Amazon's bushy-bearded monkeys
-
TikTok must find non-Chinese owner by Saturday to avert US ban
-
Trump tariffs to test resiliency of US consumers
-
Clamping down on 'forever chemicals'
-
Prominent US academic facing royal insult charge in Thailand
-
Yana, a 130,000-year-old baby mammoth, goes under the scalpel
-
'Don't want to die': Lesotho HIV patients look to traditional medicine
-
Curry scores 37 as Warriors outgun LeBron's Lakers
-
Crops under threat as surprise March heatwave hits Central Asia: study
-
Japan PM says Trump tariffs a 'national crisis'
-
Security 'breakdown' allows armed men into Melbourne's MCG
-
Norris fastest in Japan GP first practice, Tsunoda sixth on Red Bull debut
-
Albon says Thailand taking bid for F1 race 'very seriously'
-
'It's gone': conservation science in Thailand's burning forest
-
Protest as quake-hit Myanmar junta chief joins Bangkok summit
-
EU leaders push for influence at Central Asia summit
-
Asian stocks extend global rout after Trump's shock tariff blitz
-
Lewandowski, Mbappe duel fuelling tight La Liga title race
BCC | -7.86% | 94.63 | $ | |
RIO | -4.08% | 56.14 | $ | |
JRI | -1.46% | 12.635 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.71% | 22.67 | $ | |
NGG | -0.04% | 69.36 | $ | |
SCS | -4.32% | 10.295 | $ | |
BCE | 0.29% | 22.725 | $ | |
RELX | -2.41% | 50.23 | $ | |
RBGPF | 1.48% | 69.02 | $ | |
VOD | -5.29% | 8.899 | $ | |
AZN | -3.18% | 71.645 | $ | |
BTI | -1.7% | 41.22 | $ | |
GSK | -3.3% | 37.762 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.2% | 9.78 | $ | |
BP | -5.42% | 29.73 | $ | |
CMSC | -1.08% | 22.26 | $ |

Croatia's populist president appears set for re-election
Croatians vote Sunday in a presidential runoff with the incumbent Zoran Milanovic appearing set to win a second term, in what would be a blow to the scandal-hit governing party.
Milanovic enters the contest with surging momentum as he faces off with Dragan Primorac, supported by the HDZ party that governs Croatia.
The outspoken incumbent, backed by the left-wing opposition, won more than 49 percent of the vote two weeks ago during the contest's first round -- narrowly missing an outright victory.
Primorac garnered less than 20 percent of the ballots, making it unlikely that he could make up ground in the runoff.
A landslide win by Milanovic would be the latest setbacks for the HDZ and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic -- Milanovic's political arch-rival -- after a high-profile corruption scandal in November.
According to a survey published Thursday, Milanovic was projected to capture more than 62 percent of ballots cast compared to nearly 28 percent for Primorac.
The vote comes as the European Union member nation of 3.8 million people struggles with the highest inflation rate in the eurozone, endemic corruption and a labour shortage.
- 'Counterbalance' -
Although Croatia's presidential powers are limited, many believe the post is key to maintaining a political balance in the country.
The former Yugoslav republic has been mainly governed by the HDZ since declaring independence in 1991.
"I'm not a fan of Milanovic but will vote 'against HDZ'," said Mia, a 35-year-old administrator from Zagreb who declined to give her last name.
"It has too much control and Plenkovic is transforming into an autocrat," she told AFP.
Milanovic, a former left-wing prime minister, took over the presidency in 2020 with the backing of the main opposition Social Democrats (SDP) party.
A key figure in the country's political scene for nearly two decades, he has increasingly employed offensive, populist rhetoric during frequent attacks aimed at EU and local officials.
"Milanovic is a sort of a political omnivore," political analyst Zarko Puhovski told AFP, saying the president was largely seen as the "only, at least symbolic, counterbalance to the government and Plenkovic's power".
The no-holds-barred speaking style has sent Milanovic's popularity soaring and helped attract the backing of right-wing supporters.
On Thursday, he called on voters to "not to let the president be elected by Plenkovic, who wants a pushover who will carry out his personal will" -- a reference to Primorac.
Milanovic regularly pans the HDZ over the party's perennial problems with corruption, while also referring to Plenkovic as "Brussels' clerk".
- Insults fly -
Primorac -- a former education and science minister returning to politics after a 15-year absence -- has campaigned as a unifier for Croatia.
But critics say the 59-year-old career academic and businessman lacks political charisma and has failed to rally the HDZ base behind him.
Primorac has repeatedly accused Milanovic of being a "pro-Russian puppet" who has undermined Croatia's credibility in NATO and the European Union.
Milanovic, who condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has nonetheless been a frequent critic of the West's military support for Kyiv.
He has also been a prominent opponent of a programme that would have seen Croatian soldiers help train Ukrainian troops in Germany.
During the campaign, the two rivals have traded frequent insults.
Milanovic said his rival had the "brain of a pigeon and not a crow, which is intelligent", while Primorac called the president a "disgrace" and a "coward".
Voting stations open at 07:00 am (0600 GMT) and close twelve hours later, when exit polls are expected.
Official results are due later Sunday.
K.Hill--AT