ANO party seeks partners to form Czech government
Prague — The populist ANO party of billionaire Andrej Babis faced tough talks on forming a government on Sunday after it won a weekend election but fell short of a majority, leaving it in need of partners who are demanding seats in the cabinet.
ANO is allied with Hungary’s Viktor Orban and a number of far-right parties in the Patriots for Europe group in the European parliament, and its win will strengthen the populist, anti-immigration camp in the EU.
ANO won the Czech election on Saturday with 34.5% of the vote, complete results showed, ahead of Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s Spolu (Together) centre-right coalition with 23.4%. Reuters
Russia kills Ukrainian civilians in mass attack
LVIV, Ukraine/KYIV — Russia rained missiles and drones on Ukraine in a mass overnight attack, officials said on Sunday, killing at least five people and damaging civilian infrastructure including energy facilities across numerous regions.
Moscow has stepped up attacks particularly on Ukraine's energy grid and gas production sites in recent weeks as the fourth winter of war approaches and as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have stalled.
Four of the victims in the overnight attacks were family members killed when their residential building in the western region of Lviv bordering Poland was destroyed, local prosecutors said. Reuters
Trump features in draft design for $1 coin
Washington — The US Treasury on Friday released a draft design for a $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump to commemorate 250 years since the declaration of American independence in 2026.
The front of the potential design showed Trump in profile with the word “liberty” above him and “1776-2026" below, according to images shared by treasurer Brandon Beach on X and subsequently released by Treasury.
The other side of the coin showed Trump holding a raised clenched fist framed with the words “fight, fight, fight” — a reference to what he said immediately after surviving an assassination attempt last year and a flag in the background. Reuters
French premier mulls tax for top taxpayers
Paris — French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu plans a tax targeting individuals with annual incomes of more than €250,000 to try to win the Socialist opposition’s backing for his government’s 2026 state budget, financial daily Les Echos said on Saturday.
Les Echos reported that Lecornu plans two measures, each targeting taxpayers declaring more than €250,000 in income — or €500,000 for a couple — to raise an additional €3bn in fiscal revenue next year.
A first measure would be to renew a one-off tax introduced by predecessor Francois Bayrou last year which aims to ensure that all high-earning tax households concerned pay at least 20% of their income in taxes. Reuters
Syria’s electoral colleges vote for legislators
Damascus — Members of Syria’s electoral colleges gathered on Sunday to vote for new legislators, a milestone in the country’s shift away from the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad and a major test of inclusivity under its present Islamist-led authorities.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power after his rebel offensive toppled Assad in December, is trying to consolidate his hold over a nation fractured by a 14-year war and bouts of sectarian violence that fuelled distrust of him among minorities.
The indirect vote will see a combined 6,000 electors cast ballots at regional electoral colleges.
A committee appointed by Sharaa approved 1,570 candidates who showcased their platforms in seminars and debates this week. But public electioneering was muted, with no posters or billboards visible in major cities, Reuters reporters said. Reuters
Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female leader
Tokyo — With Sanae Takaichi set to become Japan’s prime minister, advancing expansionist economic policies, chances have risen that the central bank will avoid raising interest rates this month, though the pause may not last if it batters the yen.
Takaichi, likely to become Japan’s first female leader after winning the presidency of the ruling party on Saturday, stood out in the race as the only proponent of big spending and loose monetary policy.
Parliament is expected to vote the conservative nationalist in as premier on October 15 since her Liberal Democratic Party is the largest in parliament, though this is not assured as the LDP’s coalition lost its majorities in both houses under her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. Reuters
Flights diverted after drones spotted across Germany
Munich — Drones have been spotted at airports and military installations across Germany over the past two days, Bild newspaper quoted a confidential police report as saying, suggesting sightings this week at Munich Airport were the tip of the iceberg.
Dozens of flights were diverted or cancelled at Munich Airport on Friday after both runways were closed after the second drone sighting in two days. Operations resumed, with delays, on Saturday morning.
There is mounting concern that Russia could be behind a growing number of recent drone incursions in the airspace of Ukraine’s European allies, but the Kremlin has denied any involvement. Reuters
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