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ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanovic won most of the votes in the first round of a presidential election on Sunday, but must face a runoff against a ruling party candidate to secure another five-year term. With nearly all of the votes counted, left-leaning Milanovic won 49% while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%. Pre-election polls had predicted that the two would face off in the second round on Jan. 12, as none of the eight presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Milanovic thanked his supporters but warned “this was just a first run.” “Let’s not be triumphant, let’s be realistic, firmly on the ground,” he said. “We must fight all over again. It’s not over till it’s over.” Milanovic is an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. He is often compared to Donald Trump for his combative style of communication with political opponents. The most popular politician in Croatia, 58-year-old Milanović has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, he has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and continuous sparring between the two has lately marked Croatia’s political scene. Plenković, the prime minister, has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and NATO. He has labeled Milanović “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him and Milanović is quite simple: Milanović is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme military commander. Milanović has criticized the NATO and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, though it is a member of both NATO and the EU. Milanović has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a NATO-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war.” His main rival in the election, Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East.” His presidency bid, however, has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and featured prominently in pre-election debates. During the election campaign, Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Milanović as divisive. Primorac was upbeat despite such a big defeat in the first round. “I know the difference (in votes) at first sight seems very big,” said Primorac, who insisted that the center-right votes had split among too many conservative candidates. “Now we have a great opportunity to face each other one on one and show who stands for what,” he said. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.China advances foreign trade with higher-quality products exported and more imports from LDCsWASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden is pushing U.S. national security agencies ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration to devise new strategies to tackle the risky, deepening ties among Russia, Iran, North Korea and China, according to U.S. officials. In exchange for Iran’s help with the Russian war effort in Ukraine, Moscow is giving its ally fighter aircraft, missile defense and space technology, Biden concluded in a national security memorandum issued on Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin is giving North Korea fuel, money and technology, and is recognizing it as a de facto nuclear state. Russia is conducting joint patrols with China in the Arctic, the administration said. The classified document was described in general terms to reporters, but has not independently been reviewed by Reuters. Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have disputed similar assessments in the past and accused Washington of destabilizing behavior. Biden’s new document orders various arms of the U.S. government to restructure groups currently organized by region to better focus on issues linking the four countries that span Europe and Asia. The document’s strategies and policy suggestions could be implemented – or rejected altogether – by President-elect Trump, a Republican who takes office on Jan. 20. “When the new team sort of looks at it, I don’t think they will see anything in it that is trying to box them in or tilt them toward one policy option or another,” said one of the senior administration officials, who declined to be named. Another official said they want to create “new options so that a new team and Congress can really hit the ground running.” The officials said the challenges ahead include ensuring that any sanctions and export controls imposed on the four countries are applied in a coordinated way that doesn’t risk blowback from those countries and enabling the United States to better handle simultaneous crises involving several of the countries. North Korean troops are now serving in Russia, for instance. “We’re now in a world where our adversaries and our competitors are learning very quickly from one another,” said one of the officials. But there are limits to the countries’ cooperation, another of the officials said, including Russia and Iran’s failing to assist their ally Bashar al-Assad, the former Syrian president who was toppled over the weekend. “This realignment sort of raises for China the question about what kind of future it wants to see and if it really wants to be all-in with this grouping,” the person said.
Elon Musk arrives with his son on his shoulders at the U.S. Capitol. ( (Photo by Anna ... [+] Moneymaker/Getty Images) Last weekend billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk endorsed the Kids Online Safety Act , while X CEO Linda Yaccarino also posted on the platform "Protecting kids should always be priority #1." This has been the strongest endorsement from within the tech community to date. The bill, co-authored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), had passed the Senate earlier this year—only to face opposition in the House over concerns it could censor online speech. There are just weeks remaining in the current session. Major Endorsement Musk's endorsement, notably following the election, could be enough to move the needle on KOSA. Its passage would be a good first step suggested Kristin Bride, whose 16-year-old son took his own life in 2020 after being bullied on Snapchat. Bride has warned there are currently no protections for children on social media right now, and said more still needs to be done. "Every day that we debate this issue in Congress, more children are put at risk of serious online harms," said Bride. "This is why we need House leadership to pass the Kids Online Safety Act before the end of the year. There has been no legislation enacted to protect kids online since 1998." FBI Warns iPhone, Android Users—Change WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal Apps What We Know About Luigi Mangione: Alleged UnitedHealthcare Shooter’s Gun Matches Shell Casings From Scene, NYPD Says Facebook And Instagram Outage: Meta Says It’s ‘99% Of The Way’ To Being Fixed Bride, who has testified in hearings and spoken to numerous lawmakers on this series issue, has warned that the "most vigilant parent is no match for the technology used to design these platforms and their algorithms." Musk's Voice Could Carry Weight This last-minute push from Musk and Yaccarino could be enough to see KOSA passed into law before the end of the year, even as it still faces pushback from within the tech community. "This move by Musk diverges from the stance of other social media platforms," explained social media analyst Susan Schreiner of C4 Trends. How to protect children online while ensuring privacy protections has resulted in a serious impasse. Getting other social media companies to support KOSA would boost the bill's chances. "Setting the expectation for kids' safety online is decidedly more than a leadership challenge that requires much from the founders of these social media companies," Sachin Puri, chief growth officer at web hosting platform Liquid Web. "Their platforms have introduced extraordinary innovation to the digital world. Sometimes, though, the focus on growth and user experience has seemed to come at the expense of safety." Puri further warned that solutions will only be found when technology companies, regulators, educators, and cybersecurity experts come together to set clear, enforceable standards. In addition, many of the current technologies, including real-time AI moderation and child-specific safety, are not being leveraged widely for reasons relating to cost or user experience. Finding a balance has so far proved elusive, but KOSA could allow a foundation upon which to build upon. "More importantly, it should provide meaningful progress in getting the platforms to strike a much healthier balance between innovation and responsibility, investment in parental controls, and digital literacy programs supporting families and educators," said Puri. Expect More Pushback Even with Musk onboard, opposition to KOSA remains. Some of it has been more direct than others. "In mid-November, the Tech Oversight Project blasted Google and Meta for engaging in a multi-million-dollar campaign to kill reasonable and bipartisan protections for minors online," Schreiner added. "This campaign often failed to disclose financial ties aimed to undermine KOSA." Critics have suggested the goal was to weaken crucial provisions designed to protect minors. In addition, privacy advocates have also voiced concerns over the wording of the bill. "Even with the newest revisions, the legislation still faces criticism from some groups in LGBTQ+, civil rights, and digital privacy circles," said C4 Trends' Schreiner. "U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who controls the scheduling of votes, said he has seen some "great work" on KOSA but wants to address 'whether it might lead to further censorship by the government of valid conservative voices, for example.'" Johnson has indicated a GOP-led Congress would keep working on online protections for minors next year and said earlier this week "You got to get this one right," but for parents like Bride that isn't soon enough. The Wrong Voice For Change Those who agree that more needs to be done to protect today's youth argue that Musk—a controversial free-speech absolutist—might not be the best spokesperson to call for change. X has seen a rise in hate speech since Musk took control of the platform, so much so that many major brands made an exodus last year. Now Musk is attempting to brand himself the savior of America's youth, and some aren't buying his motives. "With suicide and abuse rates up, not nearly enough is being done online to protect kids, and using a billionaire who makes money from exploiting kids, even though it is indirect, places them in conflict," said technology industry analyst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group. "It would be better to have child safety driven by an unconflicted adult that understands both the industry and the problem so that workable solutions can be created," Enderle added. "When you have a conflict, you are more likely to cover up a problem than you are to address or mitigate it. By using compromised people like Musk and Zuckerberg, you might reduce the visibility of the problem but you not only are unlikely to fix it, you might even make it worse by enabling the service owners to cover it up." Individuals like Bride can offer the best understanding of how the platforms have failed to protect today's youth. "We should listen to survivor parents who have lived the horror of losing a child to online harms," Bride continued. "I know that KOSA would have protected Carson and so many other kids. I welcome anyone who genuinely wants to contribute to protecting kids online, and Big Tech leaders have a key role to play in ensuring we do that. With Elon Musk now endorsing KOSA, we can rest assured that its passing will in no way impede on anyone's First Amendment rights. KOSA is solely about making online spaces safer for kids."CA school stops disciplining students for shirts protesting trans athlete as movement spreads to more schools
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