Page 5 - aruba-today-20230328

A5
WORLD NEWS Tuesday 28 March 2023
Scotland to get 1st Muslim leader as SNP elects Humza Yousaf

By JILL LAWLESS said it ignored the need to
Associated Press protect single-sex spaces
LONDON (AP) — Scotland’s for women, such as domes-
governing party elected tic violence shelters and
Humza Yousaf as its new rape crisis centers.
leader on Monday, making Yousaf has promised to
him the first person of color push forward with the bill,
and the first Muslim to lead which has been passed by
the country of 5.5 million the Scottish parliament but
people. blocked by the U.K. gov-
Yousaf narrowly defeated ernment.
rival Kate Forbes after a The SNP holds 64 of the
bruising five-week con- 129 seats in the Scottish
test that exposed deep parliament and governs
fractures within the pro-in- in coalition with the much
dependence Scottish Na- smaller Greens. The smaller
tional Party as it faces an party had warned it might
impasse in its quest to take quit the coalition if the
Scotland out of the United SNP elected a leader that
Kingdom. doesn’t share its progres-
The 37-year-old Glasgow- sive views meaning a vic-
born son of South Asian tory by Forbes or Regan
immigrants is set to be con- Newly elected Scottish National Party leader Humza Yousaf speaks after being announced new could have splintered the
firmed as first minister dur- SNP leader, at Murrayfield Stadium, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Monday, March 27, 2023. government.
ing a session of the Scottish Associated Press That split has been avoided,
parliament in Edinburgh on of uniting the SNP and re- a clear message: that your for Scotland. Forbes, 32, is but the pro-independence
Tuesday. energizing the stalled inde- color of skin, your faith, is an evangelical Christian campaign remains adrift.
Yousaf, who currently is pendence campaign. not a barrier to leading the who has been criticized for Scottish voters backed re-
Scotland’s health minister, “Just as I will lead the SNP country we all call home.” saying that her faith would maining in the U.K. in a 2014
beat two other Scottish in the interests of all party Yousaf is widely seen as a have prevented her from referendum that was billed
lawmakers in a contest to members, not just those “continuity Sturgeon” can- voting in favor of allowing as a once-in-a-generation
replace First Minister Nicola who voted for me, so I will didate who shares the out- same-sex couples to wed, decision.
Sturgeon. She unexpect- lead Scotland in the in- going leader’s liberal social had she been a lawmaker The SNP wants a new vote,
edly stepped down last terests of all our citizens views. when Scotland legalized but the central govern-
month after eight years as whatever your political al- A formidable leader who gay marriage in 2014. ment in London has refused
leader of the party and of legiance,” he said in an led the SNP to a dominant Both Forbes and 49-year- to authorize one, and the
Scotland’s semi-autono- acceptance speech at Ed- position in Scottish politics, old Regan opposed leg- U.K. Supreme Court has
mous government. inburgh’s Murrayfield rugby Sturgeon failed in her aim islation championed by ruled that Scotland can’t
SNP members chose Yousaf stadium. of taking Scotland out of Sturgeon to make it easier hold one without London’s
over Scottish finance min- “They couldn’t have imag- the U.K. and divided the for people in Scotland to le- consent.
ister Forbes by a margin ined, in their wildest dreams, party with a contentious gally change their gender. Yousaf said he would ask
of 52% to 48%, after third- that two generations later transgender rights law. The gender recognition bill the Conservative govern-
placed candidate Ash Re- their grandson would one The three candidates to has been hailed as a land- ment in London for autho-
gan was eliminated in a first day be Scotland’s first min- succeed her shared the mark piece of legislation by rization to hold a new refer-
vote. Turnout among the ister,” he said. “We should goal of independence, transgender rights activists, endum. Prime Minister Rishi
72,000 members was 70%. all take pride in the fact but differed in their eco- but faced opposition from Sunak’s office said the an-
Yousaf faces the challenge that today we have sent nomic and social visions some SNP members who swer remained no.q

Greenland to stay in daylight saving time forever

COPENHAGEN, Denmark three hours behind Copen- world,” Visit Greenland, the
(AP) — Residents of Green- hagen and most other Eu- local government’s tourism
land have switched to ropean countries instead office said in a statement.
daylight saving time and of four. Greenland’s par- Geographically, sparsely
moved their clocks one liament, Inatsisartut, voted populated Greenland be-
hour forward this weekend to stick to daylight saving longs to the North Ameri-
for the very last time. time year-round on Nov. 24 can continent but geopo-
Unlike most of Europe, last year. Officials say it will litically, it is in Europe.
Greenlanders will leave give Greenlanders another Greenland is part the Dan-
their clocks untouched hour of daylight in the af- ish Realm and its southern-
come autumn when day- ternoons and more time most tip is more than 3,200
light saving time ends. to do business with Europe kilometers (nearly 2,000
While Europe and the U.S. and farther afield. miles) west of Copenha-
debates whether to stick to “The shift of time zone marks gen. Its 56,000 people main-
the twice-yearly practice, an exciting new beginning, ly Inuit, indigenous people
Greenland - a vast Danish an equal connection to who chiefly live on the west
semi-independent territory North America and Europe, coast in small towns and Small pieces of ice float in the water in Nuuk Fjord, Greenland,
in the Arctic - has resolved and an opportunity to slow hamlets or remote coastal June 15, 2019.
to perennially remain only down in a fast-paced settlements.q Associated Press