96/2019 • 27 APRIL, 2019 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Franceʼs Emmanuel Macron faces bumpy road to reform The French president has bowed to yellow vest protesters with tax cuts and administrative reform
Heʼs hoping for a new start — but his fight for the hearts and minds of the people is far from over, writes Barbara Wesel.
One in ten EU voters support farright populist parties When Europeans head to the polls next month to elect a new parliament, most will vote based on who they oppose rather than who they support, according to a new study. Extremist, populist parties stand to benefit. Around 10% of voters plan to use their vote in the European Parliament electionsto back far-right or right-wing populist parties, according to astudypublished by the Bertelsmann Foundation on Friday. Most other EU citizens will use their ballots to thwart parties they oppose rather than support a particular group.
Sri Lanka says militant leader killed in Easter bombings Security forces in Sri Lanka are looking for around 140 people believed to have links with the "Islamic State" (IS) militia over the Easter attacks, President Maithripala Sirisena said on Friday. In the days following the church and hotel blasts, the government saidlocal militants from the National Thowfeek Jamaath (NTJ) were behind the bombings, likely with help from abroad. Later, a video surfaced with the NTJ leader pledging his allegiance to IS. The attacks launched a nationwide manhunt for Hashim. On Friday, President Sirisena said the NTJ leader died in one of the six deadly blast while taking part in the attack on the luxury Shangri-la hotel in the capital, Colombo.
At long last Jupiter descended from the mountain and gave a press conference in the Elysee Palace. For the first time in his presidency, Emmanuel Macron faced up to journalistsʼ questions. He simply sat behind a desk and explained what road France now has to take after months of "yellow vest" protests. By doing so, he gave up his ludicrous idea of being untouchable and admitted that a head of state actually has to talk to the citizens. In what was calledthe "great debate," Macron started touring Franceat the beginning of the year in order to talk to thousands of French citizens, their representatives and mayors. In Thursdayʼs conference he conceded that heʼs learned a lot about his country — for example, that there is a comprehensive feeling of financial and social injustice. In order to combat this, heʼs now offering a bundle of measures: significant tax relief for middle-income groups; an increase in the minimum pension, as well as the reinstatement of inflationary adjustment for retirement incomes; improved recognition of the care services that women provide; and subsidies for single mothers. Those presents are exactly the ones that heads of government usually promise their citizens in the course of an election campaign. Macron is delivering them two years after taking office because he wants to win the
French people overand carry on with the proposed transformation of Franceʼs government and administration — and it has become evident he canʼt do this in the face of permanent protests and resistance from his citizens. In this instance, the president is appealing to the nationʼs moderate majority. Heʼs right in demanding thatthe violent thugs among the "yellow vest" protestersare a matter for the police to deal with. Macron also admitted to making mistakes, to coming across as too aloof and arrogant, and he promised to do better in the future. This public appearance was his personal walk of shame, performed in the hope that it will enable him to open a new chapter of his presidency. In France, complaints about detached elites are more vociferous and more justified than in other countries. This criticism focuses on the National School of Administration (ENA), a selective higher-education institute where Macron himself was educated, as well as numerous other French presidents and ministers. ENA, Macron said, must not necessarily be closed but must definitely be reformed. This is a direct concession to the yellow vests and their grievances. In addition, he promised an administrative reform that would reduce the number of civil servants in Paris and relocate many of them to rural areas.
Chinaʼs Belt and Road is ʼgreen and clean,ʼ says Xi
Rescuers race to reach missing miners in Luhansk
Chinese President Xi Jinping says the Belt and Road program must be "open, green and clean." Beijing wants to dispel fears that its infrastructure plans will leave countries saddled with debt and environmental damage. Chinaʼs Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will have "zero tolerance for corruption" and bring "high-quality" growth to all countries involved, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday. He was speaking in Beijing at the start a summit on his grand plans to rebuild the old Silk Road and connect China with Asia, Africa and parts of Europe.
Rescue teams were working to reach miners inside Skhidcarbon mine on Friday, after an underground explosion damaged the site located near the Yurievka village in the socalledLuhansk Republic in eastern Ukraine. At least four bodies have been retrieved so far, according to pro-Russian separatists. The fate of other 13 miners remains uncertain. The blast took place at the depth of some 300 meters (984 feet) on Thursday, Russian news agency Interfax reported.