The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
Voting in presidential elections began on Sunday across Croatia, with 12 candidates vying for the job of helping the former Yugoslav nation over the last hurdles to European Union membership. The most recent polls indicate that even Social Democrat Ivo Josipovic, who has a clear edge over the other candidates, will not be able to secure the 50 percent of votes needed to for an outright victory. Josipovic will likely face either Milan Bandic, the mayor of Zagreb who was recently expelled from the Social Democrats, or Nadan Vidosevic, a businessman and former member of the ruling party, the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), in a January 10 runoff.Law professor and composer Josipovic has an untarnished political career but is seen as lacking charisma. He has pledged to support Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's recent drive to fight corruption in the country. However, while the Croatian president has a limited say in foreign policy, security and defense, the post is largely ceremonial with no power to veto legislation. The issues dominating the elections are the country's widespread corruption and its recovery from the the global economic crisis.
Voting in presidential elections began on Sunday across Croatia, with 12 candidates vying for the job of helping the former Yugoslav nation over the last hurdles to European Union membership.
The most recent polls indicate that even Social Democrat Ivo Josipovic, who has a clear edge over the other candidates, will not be able to secure the 50 percent of votes needed to for an outright victory. Josipovic will likely face either Milan Bandic, the mayor of Zagreb who was recently expelled from the Social Democrats, or Nadan Vidosevic, a businessman and former member of the ruling party, the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), in a January 10 runoff.
Law professor and composer Josipovic has an untarnished political career but is seen as lacking charisma. He has pledged to support Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's recent drive to fight corruption in the country. However, while the Croatian president has a limited say in foreign policy, security and defense, the post is largely ceremonial with no power to veto legislation.
The issues dominating the elections are the country's widespread corruption and its recovery from the the global economic crisis.
KANDIDAT BROJ GLASOVA POSTOTAK 1. prof.dr.sc. IVO JOSIPOVIĆ SOCIJALDEMOKRATSKA PARTIJA HRVATSKE - SDP 640.549 32,42 % 2. MILAN BANDIĆ NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 293.045 14,83 % 3. prof.dr.sc. ANDRIJA HEBRANG HRVATSKA DEMOKRATSKA ZAJEDNICA - HDZ 237.982 12,05 % 4. NADAN VIDOŠEVIĆ NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 223.874 11,33 % 5. prof.dr.sc. VESNA PUSIĆ HRVATSKA NARODNA STRANKA - LIBERALNI DEMOKRATI - HNS 143.175 7,25 % 6. prof.dr.sc. DRAGAN PRIMORAC NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 117.145 5,93 % 7. prof.dr.sc. MIROSLAV TUĐMAN NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 80.775 4,09 % 8. DAMIR KAJIN ISTARSKI DEMOKRATSKI SABOR - IDS 76.405 3,87 % 9. JOSIP JURČEVIĆ NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 54.172 2,74 % 10. BORIS MIKŠIĆ NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 41.489 2,10 % 11. VESNA ŠKARE OŽBOLT NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 37.369 1,89 % 12. SLAVKO VUKŠIĆ, ing. DEMOKRATSKA STRANKA SLAVONSKE RAVNICE - SLAVONSKA RAVNICA 8.308 0,42 %
I would appreciate if our Croatian-based posters would turn up with their personal view of the candidates; but from the little I read, Bandić is a crook, while I saw no negatives about Josipović other than being 'uncharismatic'. I was told earlier however that 5th-placed Vesna Pusić (liberal, and the better-placed of only two women) would be the only progressive candidate. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Germany's commissioner for data protection says users of online social networks remain poorly protected by the privacy policies of most sites. He proposes an independent ratings agency to alert users to these risks. Germany's Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Peter Schaar has warned that many social networking sites still haven't totally gotten on board with protecting users' data. In an interview with German news agency dpa, Schaar specifically mentioned Facebook, the largest of such sites, and its recent changes to its privacy settings. The default of the new setup puts everyone at the weakest privacy level, making their personal information and uploaded photos public. While users did have to accept the changes, Schaar still considers this to be user protection "unfriendly."
Germany's Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Peter Schaar has warned that many social networking sites still haven't totally gotten on board with protecting users' data. In an interview with German news agency dpa, Schaar specifically mentioned Facebook, the largest of such sites, and its recent changes to its privacy settings.
The default of the new setup puts everyone at the weakest privacy level, making their personal information and uploaded photos public. While users did have to accept the changes, Schaar still considers this to be user protection "unfriendly."
Seven people have been killed in a string of deadly avalanches in the Italian Alps.The bodies of the victims, including four rescuers, were being recovered today. A German boy hit by one of the avalanches while snow-boarding off-piste is fighting for his life at a hospital in Bolzano.The rescuers died in the Val Lasties area of the Dolomites, east of Bolzano. Members of a party of seven expert mountaineers, they had climbed to 2,000 metres in search of two Italian tourists who had ventured into the area on snow shoes and been struck by the first of the avalanches.The group reached a mountain refuge on Saturday night and set off again in the dark when they were caught in an avalanche as they were descending the mountain. One of the survivors raised the alarm.The bodies of the two tourists were located by a bigger expedition consisting of tracker dogs and 40 rescuers, including members of the fire brigade and the paramilitary Carabinieri.In the mountains west of Bolzano, a third avalanche struck three young Germans after they left the ski runs near Malga Madriccio to take a well-trodden shortcut across the slopes above 3,000 metres.
Seven people have been killed in a string of deadly avalanches in the Italian Alps.
The bodies of the victims, including four rescuers, were being recovered today. A German boy hit by one of the avalanches while snow-boarding off-piste is fighting for his life at a hospital in Bolzano.
The rescuers died in the Val Lasties area of the Dolomites, east of Bolzano. Members of a party of seven expert mountaineers, they had climbed to 2,000 metres in search of two Italian tourists who had ventured into the area on snow shoes and been struck by the first of the avalanches.
The group reached a mountain refuge on Saturday night and set off again in the dark when they were caught in an avalanche as they were descending the mountain. One of the survivors raised the alarm.
The bodies of the two tourists were located by a bigger expedition consisting of tracker dogs and 40 rescuers, including members of the fire brigade and the paramilitary Carabinieri.
In the mountains west of Bolzano, a third avalanche struck three young Germans after they left the ski runs near Malga Madriccio to take a well-trodden shortcut across the slopes above 3,000 metres.
