Time_Asia-November_06_2017

BABIES FROM

ABROAD

The number of

adoptions from

other countries

by Americans

declined in

fiscal year

2016, according

to the State

Department.

Here, a sample of

countries where

international

adoptees came

from in 2016:

17

Mexico

1

Canada

39

Pakistan

156

Philippines

2,

China

360

Democratic

Republic of

Congo

DATA

◁ Andrej Babis has a fortune

estimated at $4 billion

FLAME ONGreek presidential guards, known as Evzones, walk around the ancient Temple of Hera in Olympia during the
Oct. 24 lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame ahead of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea. The flame will
tour Greece before being flown to the South Korean city of Incheon on Oct. 31 for a torch relay that will culminate in the
opening ceremony on Feb. 9, 2018.Photograph by Aris Messinis—AFP/Getty Images

THE CZECH REPUBLIC’S SECOND RICHEST MAN,
Andrej Babis, is set to become Prime Minister after
his ANO party came out on top in the Oct. 20–
parliamentary election. Here’s what to know
about the populist billionaire often com-
pared to President Donald Trump:

THE TYCOONThe son of a communist Slo-
vak diplomat made his billions through
an agrochemical empire built from the
spoils of the Soviet Union’s col-
lapse. He founded ANO (Ye s in
Czech) in 2011, and it became
the second largest party in Par-
liament in 2013 after running
on an anticorruption ticket.
One of his country’s biggest
newspaper owners, Babis has
been accused of using his media
properties to smear critics and
gain influence.

THE POPULISTHaving initially won support on his

pro-business credentials, Babis positioned himself

as an ethno-nationalist in 2016. As Europe con-

tinued to struggle with the migrant crisis, he won

support by calling Middle Eastern refugees “secu-

rity risks” who would “destroy European culture.”

THE MANAGERLike Trump, the 63-year-old

won by tapping into popular discontent.

And like East European leaders in Hun-

gary and Poland, he opposes deeper E.U.

integration—but out of a dislike of bureau-

cracy rather than for ideological reasons. He

says he wants to run the Czech Re-

public more like a business, even

though the country’s current 3%

unemployment rate is Europe’s

lowest and its growth rate is a re-

spectable 2.5%. Asked recently if

he was similar to the U.S. Presi-

dent, Babis demurred: “I was

never bankrupt.” —TARA JOHN

SPOTLIGHT

The ‘Czech Trump’ whose

victory is rattling Europe