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World
FRIDAY May 24, 2019
The ˜Manila Times
w w w.manilatimes.net
May’s choice: Quit or be ousted L ONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May dug in Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) against a relentless push by rivals and former allies TO REMOVE HER FROM OFkCE AS HER ATTEMPTS to lead Britain out of the European Union appeared to be headed for a dead end.
May resisted calls to rip up her tattered Brexit blueprint and end her embattled premiership after her attempt at compromise was rejected by both her own Conservative Party and opposition lawmakers. But it seemed only a matter of time. Amid a feverish mood
as rumors and plots swirled through Parliament, Conservative lawmakers set up a showdown meeting with May on Friday, giving her less than 48 hours to announce she will go or face a renewed attempt to oust her. This as Cabinet minister quit
with an excoriating letter attacking May’s failure to lead Britain out of the EU and hold her divided government together. Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom alleged there had been “a complete breakdown of collective responsibility” in government, and said May’s Brexit plan would not “deliver on the referendum result” that saw voters in 2016 opting to leave the EU. Leadsom campaigned to leave the EU in the referendum and was a strong pro-Brexit voice in Cabinet. Several other senior ministers were reportedly seeking meetings with May to express unhappi-
ness with her Brexit plan — and possibly urge her to quit. But her spokesman, James Slack, said he was “not aware of any discussions” with Cabinet colleagues. Lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, a leading Conservative moderate, said the only chance of delivering an orderly Brexit was for May “to go — and without delay.” In the House of Commons, May RECEIVED A lURRY OF CRITICISM AND hostile questions as she implored lawmakers to support a bill implementing Britain’s departure from the EU that she plans to put to a vote in Parliament in June. Nearly three years after British voters opted to leave the EU,
May said “we need to see Brexit through, to honor the result of the referendum and to deliver the change the British people so clearly demanded.” If Parliament rejected her deal, she said, “all we have before us is division and deadlock.” That could serve as a fair summary of Britain’s current situation. Lawmakers have already rejected May’s divorce deal with the 27 other EU countries three times, and Britain’s long-scheduled departure date of March 29 passed with the country still in the bloc. In a last-ditch bid to secure support for her Brexit plan, May recently announced concessions
including a promise to give Parliament a vote on whether to hold a new referendum on Britain’s EU membership — something she has long ruled out. “I have compromised. Now I ask you to compromise too,” she said. But there was little sign her plea was being heeded. Pro-EU and pro-Brexit lawmakers have only hardened their positions during months of political trench warfare, and they are in no mood to compromise. Pro-Brexit Conservatives accused May of capitulating to pro-EU demands, and opposition Labor Party lawmakers dismissed her offer as too little, too late. AP
Soldiers surround Jakarta; Modi headed for reelection in India polls 257 protesters arrested JAKARTA: Tens of thousands Indonesian troops were deployed on the streets of the capital Jakarta Thursday, as a deadline approached for a presidential challenger to file an appeal over claims of widespread cheating in last month’s election. At least six people were killed—including a 17-year-old high school student— after two nights of rioting as police clashed with protesters opposed to the re-election of President Joko Widodo. The violence has been fanned by claims from Widodo’s rival Prabowo Subianto, a retired general, that the April 17 poll was a fraud. Indonesia’s election commission on Tuesday confirmed Widodo had beaten Subianto who had until early Friday to file a formal challenge at the Constitutional Court. The 67-year-old has appealed for calm and said he would pursue legal channels to contest the results, as he did, unsuccessfully, against Widodo in 2014. Election officials and analysts have discounted Subianto’s claims. But many of his supporters appeared convinced of rampant cheating in the world’s third-biggest democracy, after India and the United States. The streets of the capital were relatively quiet Thursday with police and military personnel keeping a close watch on the heart of the city, including the election supervisory agency building — the center of much of the violence — and the presi-
dential palace amid fears of more unrest. Nearly 60,000 security personnel were deployed Thursday, nearly double the previous number, after Widodo vowed that he “won’t tolerate” more riots. Authorities have blamed the violence on “provocateurs” that they claimed had come from outside Jakarta to stir up trouble. “We’ve detained more than 300 suspects and are now interrogating them,” said national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo. The elections commission office has been barricaded with razor wire and protected by scores of security personnel for days. Meanwhile, the Jakarta police have arrested 257 rioters involved in violent election demonstrations and more are expected to be arrested as the demonstrations are still going on, Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said here on Wednesday. “Those rioters were arrested in the last two days in Gambir, Petamburan and around the Bawaslu building,” Argo told a press conference in his office. He said the rioters involved in clashes with police were apparently from different groups with supporters of the defeated presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto. The spokesman said the rioters had been paid to incite chaos and carry out aggressive acts against the police. “We suspect their acts have been wellplanned,” Argo added. AFP
NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party were off to an early lead as votecounting began Thursday following the conclusion of the country’s six-week general election, sending the stock market soaring in anticiPATION OF ANOTHER kVE YEAR TERM for the Hindu nationalist leader. Election Commission data at midmorning showed the Bharatiya Janata Party leading in contests for 294 out of 542 seats, with its main rival, the Indian National Congress, ahead in 50 contests. The data didn’t indicate what percentage of the estimated 600 million votes had been counted. The count was expected to conclude by Thursday evening. The election has been seen as a referendum on Modi, whose economic reforms have had mixed results but whose popularity as a social underDOG IN )NDIA S HIGHLY STRATIkED SOCIETY has endured. Critics have said his (INDU kRST PLATFORM RISKS EXACERBATing social tensions in the country of 1.3 billion people. On the campaign trail, Modi presented himself as a self-made man WITH THE CONkDENCE TO CUT RED TAPE and unleash India’s economic potential, and labeled Congress party president Rahul Gandhi, the scion of a political dynasty that lost power in 2014, as an out-of-touch elite. Half a dozen exit polls released
2 US warships sail through Taiwan Strait for 5th time TAIPEI: Two US warships have sailed through THE 4AIWAN 3TRAIT FOR THE kFTH TIME THIS YEAR Taipei’s defence ministry said, in an operation bound to provoke a rebuke from Beijing. The ships entered the strait from the southwest on Wednesday, according to a short ministry statement which did not identify the vessels. Taiwan’s military “was closely monitoring the whole process and movements in our neighbouring sea and air space according to protocol to maintain regional peace and stability,” it said. US warships periodically conduct “freedom of navigation” exercises in the narrow waterway separating the Chinese mainland
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and Taiwan, triggering angry responses from Beijing every time. ,OCAL MEDIA SAID 7EDNESDAY WAS THE kFTH time US warships traversed the strait this year. Beijing views any ships passing through the strait as essentially a breach of its sovereignty — while the US and many other nations view the route as international waters open to all. China sees Taiwan as part of its territory to BE REUNIkED DESPITE THE TWO SIDES BEING RULED separately since the end of a civil war on the mainland in 1949. The US diplomatically recognizes China over Taiwan, but remains the island’s chief military ally and arms supplier. AFP
Arrested drug smuggling suspects cover their faces with seized packages of marijuana at a press conference in Banda Aceh. Indonesian police seized 1 ton of packed marijuana during a raid. AFP PHOTO
VICTORY SMILE
An Indian supporter of Bharatiya Janata Party dances as she celebrates the results of India’s general election in Siliguri, India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed, and almost certain, of reelection by the world’s largest electorate. AFP PHOTO after voting concluded Sunday showed Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party winning. A party or coalition needs a simple majority, or 272 of the seats in Parliament’s lower house, to govern. “Mr. Modi’s going to be the next prime minister, we are very assured of that,” said Meenakshi Lekhi, a member of Parliament running for reelection in New Delhi.
Trump demands probe end, walks out of meeting WASHINGTON, D.C.: US President Donald Trump abruptly stalked out of a White House meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday (Thursday IN -ANILA lATLY DECLARING HE WOULD NO LONGER work with Democrats unless they drop all investigations in the aftermath of the special counsel’s Trump-Russia report. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it all “very, very, very strange” and said she was praying for Trump and the nation. Trump tweeted his thanks for her prayers but said he would not proceed down two tracks — investigation and legislation. Democrats said his ultimatum seemed scripted, with signs declaring his innocence already prepared for his outdoor remarks that followed. Yet Trump’s unease with congressional oversight and talk of what he called the “i-word” — impeachment — now threatens to deprive him of legislative accomplishments for the remainder of his term. The scene playing out live on television was reminiscent of earlier ones at the White House, including during the federal government shutdown, when Trump walked out on Democrats. While this standoff COULD BENEkT HIM POLITICALLY IN THE SHORT TERM WITH his tough talk stirring up supporters, it leaves his trade deals, a new budget and other goals in jeopardy as he heads into a reelection campaign. Democrats called it another Trump temper tantrum. “I want to do infrastructure,” Trump said he told Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, noting the scheduled topic of the meeting. “But you know what? We can’t do it under these circumstances,” he said he told them. “So, get these phony investigations over.” Without ever shaking anyone’s hand, or even taking a seat, Trump turned and left the three-minute meeting. He strode to the Rose Garden where reporters and television cameras had been assembled and proceeded to assail the Democrats, particularly Pelosi for her comment earlier in the morning on Capitol Hill that she believed the president was engaged in a “cover-up” of the Russia probe. AP
By midmorning, India’s Sensex had jumped 2.3 percent to an alltime high over 40,000. Crowds gathered in New Delhi to watch the results come on big light emitting diode screens at Connaught Place. Mohammad Shamshad, a 21-year-old mechanical engineer standing among about two dozen men watching live results, said it
was too early to call. “It’s like a cricket match — anyone can win,” he said. In the world’s largest democratic exercise, voters cast ballots on some 40 million electronic voting machines, a method India began using 15 years ago after complaints that the manual count of paper ballots was tainted by fraud and abuse. AP
Worldinbriefs EU POLLS KICK OFF THE Hague: Polls opened in the Netherlands on Thursday for European Parliament elections, launching four days of voting across the European Union (EU) in which populists hope to make big gains. Britain and the Netherlands are the first countries to vote in the polls, with more than 400 million voters across the 28-nation bloc eligible to elect 751 MEPs. Flamboyant Dutch eurosceptic Thierry Baudet and his populist Forum for Democracy are on course to match Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s Liberals with five European Parliament seats each, according to recent opinion polls. AP
CELEBRITY CHEF BATALI CHARGED BOSTON: Celebrity chef Mario Batali is facing a criminal charge on allegations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman at a Boston restaurant in 2017. Batali, who recently gave up financial stakes in all his restaurants, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on a charge of indecent assault and battery, spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said. It’s the first criminal charge against Batali resulting from several sexual harassment and assault allegations that crippled his career amid the #MeToo movement. AP
‘AMERICAN TALIBAN’ TO BE FREED FROM JAIL TERRE Haute, Ind.: The California man who became known as the “American Taliban” after his capture on an Afghanistan battlefield in late 2001 is on the cusp of release from prison. Thirty-eight-year-old John Walker Lindh is scheduled for release Thursday from the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. He has spent more than 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing support to the Taliban. The plea deal called for a 20-year sentence, but Lindh is getting out a few years early for good behavior. AP
9 IN CHILD ONLINE PEDOPHILE RING ARRESTED LYON: International police group Interpol said Thursday that nine people had been arrested in Thailand, Australia and the US and 50 children had been rescued after investigators took down an online pedophilia ring. More arrests were expected as police in nearly 60 countries pursue investigations stemming from an Interpol operation launched two years ago into a hidden “dark web” site with 63,000 users worldwide. Fifty children were rescued following the arrests. Police are trying to identify an additional 100 in images that had been shared on the internet’s uncharted corners. AFP
50 CHINESE NABBED FOR ONLINE GAMBLING MILITARY police in Banteay Meanchey province in Cambodia arrested more than 50 Chinese nationals suspected of running an illegal online gambling operation in Poipet City. Lt. Col. Bun Nam Eang, provincial military police deputy commander, said his officers cooperated with city military police officers and raided two guesthouses in Poipet commune where the illegal online gambling operation was being run. He noted that the raid, led by provincial court prosecutor Meas Chanpiseth, took place from early morning until about 3 p.m. last Monday, May 20, 2019. KHMER TIMES