Page 8 - ARUBATODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 23 January 2020
Top judge elected

as Greece's first

female president

By ELENA BECATOROS sions."
Associated Press Prime Minister Kyriakos Mit-
ATHENS, Greece (AP) sotakis nominated Sakel-
— Greece's lawmakers laropoulou as a non-parti-
elected their country's first san candidate who would
female president Wednes- enjoy broad support from
day, with an overwhelming across the political spec- Katerina Sakellaropoulou, head of the Council of State poses at
majority voting in favor of trum. her office in Athens on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020.
high court judge Katerina All major parties voted in Associated Press
Sakellaropoulou. favor of the nomination,
Speaking after being for- with Sakellaropoulou be- laropoulou, 63, as a "great said the country was "mov-
mally informed of the par- ing elected to the largely jurist, a great judiciary ing ahead into a new era
liament vote, Sakellaropou- ceremonial post in a 261-33 personality who unites all of equality."
lou said she would aim for vote, well above the 200 Greeks from the minute this European Council head
the "broadest possible con- votes required. Six lawmak- procedure began." Charles Michel also tweet-
sensus" in the course of car- ers were absent. He said he sought to nomi- ed congratulations, say-
rying out her duties. Greece has a historically nate a candidate who ing it was "a great signal to
In her first comments as low number of women in would "symbolize the youth elect the Republic's first fe-
president-elect, the judge senior positions in politics, of the Greek nation, and I male head of state."
noted the "difficult condi- and Mitsotakis had been am glad that the result con- Sakellaropoulou, who has
tions and challenges of criticized for selecting a firmed that on the big is- headed the Council of
the 21st century, including nearly all-male Cabinet sues, we can finally agree." State, the country's highest
the financial crisis, climate after he won general elec- European officials congrat- administrative court, since
change, the mass move- tions in July 2019. In the cur- ulated Sakellaropoulou, 2018, is to begin her five-
ment of populations and rent Greek Cabinet, all but with European Commission year term in March, when
the consequent humanitar- one of the 18 senior posi- President Ursula von der the term of the current
ian crisis, the erosion of the tions are held by men. Leyen welcoming the elec- president, veteran conser-
rule of law and all manner Speaking after the vote, tion of Greece's first female vative politician Prokopis
of inequalities and exclu- Mitsotakis described Sakel- president in a tweet that Pavlopoulos, expires.q

UK lawmakers

remove child-migrants

promise from Brexit bill

it intends to continue reset- also stripped out changes
tling child migrants in Britain made by the Lords to bol-
after the country leaves the ster the rights of EU citizens
EU but argues that the issue in Britain, protect the pow-
does not belong in the EU ers of U.K. courts and en-
withdrawal bill, which sets sure a say for Scotland and
A member holds a document inside the House of Lords as the
European Withdrawal Agreement Bill is debated in London, out the terms of Britain's de- Wales in post-Brexit legal
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. parture from the 28-nation changes.
Associated Press bloc. The wrangling won't stop
Brexit Secretary Stephen the Brexit bill from becom-
LONDON (AP) — British law- leave the European Union Barclay said an agree- ing law within days, be-
makers have overturned on Jan. 31. ment on taking in the chil- cause the House of Com-
changes to the govern- The Lords voted Tuesday dren "is ultimately a matter mons can override the un-
ment's flagship Brexit bill to demand that post-Brexit which must be negotiated elected Lords.
made by Parliament's Britain continues to let un- with the EU, and the gov- Members of the Lords ac-
House of Lords, removing accompanied migrant ernment is committed to knowledged Wednesday
a promise to reunite child children in EU countries join seeking the best possible that they would have to
refugees with their families relatives living in the U.K. outcome in those negotia- give way.
in the U.K. The promise was made in tions." "We are at the end of a
As the bill went through 2018 by former British Prime But Labour lawmaker very long road," said Martin
its final stages before be- Minister Theresa May, but Yvette Cooper accused Callanan, a Brexit minister
coming law, the House of it was removed from the Johnson's Conservative in the Lords.
Commons on Wednesday Brexit legislation after Prime government of planning to The EU parliament also
removed five amendments Minister Boris Johnson's "betray the commitments must approve the Brexit
inserted into the Withdraw- Conservatives won a big that have been made to divorce deal before Jan.
al Agreement Bill by the un- parliamentary majority in the most vulnerable chil- 31. A vote by the Europe-
elected upper chamber. an election last month. dren of all." an Parliament is expected
Britain is scheduled to Johnson's government says The House of Commons next week.q