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WORLD NEWS Friday 22 april 2022
U.K. lawmakers OK probe into PM Boris Johnson’s alleged lies

By JILL LAWLESS quit.
Associated Press “The truth is simple and it’s
LONDON (AP) — British this he lied to avoid get-
lawmakers on Thursday or- ting caught, and once he
dered a parliamentary in- got caught, he lied again,”
vestigation into Prime Min- Scottish National Party law-
ister Boris Johnson for alleg- maker Ian Blackford said in
edly lying about whether the House of Commons.
he broke coronavirus re- Usually lawmakers are for-
strictions by attending ille- bidden from accusing one
gal gatherings during the another of lying, but Black-
pandemic. ford was not reprimanded
The move, approved by by the Speaker.
cries of “aye” and without A growing number of Con-
a formal vote in the House servatives are uncomfort-
of Commons, means Par- able about defending a
liament’s Committee of leader who broke rules he
Privileges will investigate imposed on the country.
whether Johnson knowing- A few have called openly
ly misled Parliament histori- for Johnson to go, and the
cally a resigning offense if number is rising. Others are
proven. waiting to see whether
The probe piles more pres- public anger translates into
sure on a Conservative Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, poses with Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, in front of the Conservative losses at local
prime minister whose grip Swaminarayan Akshardham temple, in Gandhinagar, part of his two-day trip to India, Thursday, elections on May 5.
April 21, 2022.
on power has been shak- Associated Press “It is utterly depressing to
en by claims he flouted be asked to defend the
the pandemic rules he im- ior. ership of the country and dying relatives. Johnson is indefensible,” said Con-
posed on the country, then Labour leader Keir Starmer the Conservative Party. He the first British prime minister servative legislator William
repeatedly failed to own said the move sought to was more than 4,000 miles ever found to have broken Wragg. “Each time part of
up to it. uphold “the simple prin- (6,400 kilometers) away in the law while in office. us withers.”
The move was instigated ciple that honesty, integrity India, insisting he wanted He has apologized, but de- Lawmaker Steve Baker,
by the opposition Labour and telling the truth matter to “get on with the job” of nied he knowingly broke until now a prominent sup-
Party and passed after the in our politics.” leading the country. the rules. Johnson’s shift- porter, said that Johnson
government abandoned “It is a British principle ... Johnson was fined 50 ing defense initially saying “should be long gone” for
efforts to get Conserva- guiding members from ev- pounds ($66) by police last there were no illegal gath- violating the “letter and
tive lawmakers to block it. ery political party in this week for attending his own erings, then claiming it “did spirit” of the rules.”
Johnson’s Conservatives House,” Starmer said. “But it birthday party in his office not occur to me” that the The Committee of Privileg-
have a substantial major- is a principle under attack.” in June 2020, when people birthday event was a par- es probe will not start until
ity in Parliament, but many Johnson was not present for in Britain were barred from ty has drawn derision and twin police and civil-service
lawmakers are uneasy with the decision on a scandal meeting up with friends outrage from opponents, investigations into “party-
the prime minister’s behav- that has rocked his lead- and family, or even visiting who have called for him to gate” have concluded. q

U.N. court: Colombia infringed Nicaragua’s rights in Caribbean

By MIKE CORDER bean Sea, including by hin- in a lengthy legal battle, research activities” of Ni- ganized crime in the area.”
Associated Press dering Nicaraguan fishing although it may not fully caraguan or Nicaraguan- A 2012 ruling by the world
THE HAGUE, Netherlands vessels and granting fishing end the dispute between licensed vessels and with court gave Nicaragua fish-
(AP) — The United Na- permits for Colombian and the two Latin American naval activities “and by ing rights over much of the
tions’ highest court ruled other boats. nations. Nicaragua filed purporting to enforce con- western Caribbean, but
Thursday that Colombia The majority ruling of the In- the case in 2013, claiming servation measures” in Ni- Colombia’s navy has con-
breached Nicaragua’s ternational Court of Justice that Colombia violated its caragua’s waters. tinued to patrol the waters,
rights in waters of the Carib- gave Nicaragua a victory sovereignty in the western Colombia said the ruling which are also used by traf-
Caribbean, a region of the had positives for Bogota, fickers to smuggle drugs
sea long claimed by both despite imposing limits on into Central America.
countries that is home to its naval activities. At hearings last year, Ni-
a UNESCO-listed biosphere “They limited some of its caragua argued that Co-
reserve inhabited by doz- functions in the sense that lombian naval ships were
ens of endangered spe- they cannot undertake infringing on its fishing rights
cies. In a 9-6 vote, the world environmental control ac- by patrolling the area that
court ruled that Colombia tivities, which is a shame the court had awarded to
“must immediately cease because we do have the Nicaragua as an “exclusive
the conduct,” ICJ President ability to do that,” Colom- economic zone.”
Jean E. Donoghue said bia’s representative to the The country also alleged
during a public reading of court, Carlos Gustavo Ar- that Colombia’s navy has
the decision. rieta Padilla, told reporters. dissuaded vessels with Ni-
The judges voted 10-5 to “But nevertheless, the court caraguan fishing permits
establish that Colombia in- maintained the possibility from operating in the area
Exterior view of the International Court of Justice, or World Court, fringed Nicaragua’s rights of the Colombian navy be- while providing protection
in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. “by interfering with fish- ing there and doing opera- to vessels with Colombian
Associated Press ing and marine scientific tions in the fight against or- permits. q