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A30 world news
Diamars 13 aPriL 2021

Shirley Williams, liberal British politician, dies at 90

(AP) — Shirley Williams, votes, but have not broken the She was married twice: first
a trailblazing female law- stranglehold of the Britain’s to British philosopher Ber-
maker who tried to re- two big parties — Labour and nard Williams, and after their
shape a British political the Conservative — although divorce to American political
system dominated by two the Lib Dems shared power scientist Richard Neustadt.
big parties, has died at 90. in a Conservative-led coali- Both men died in 2003.
tion government between
Williams’ party, the Liberal 2010 and 2015. Liberal Democrat leader Ed
Democrats, said she “died Despite her party’s ups and Davey said Williams was
peacefully in the early hours downs, Williams was always “an inspiration to millions, a
of Monday.” popular. Her tousled hair, Liberal lion and a true trail-
Born in 1930 to political easy smile and knack of lis- blazer.”
scientist George Catlin and tening with compassion gave
feminist writer Vera Brittain, her a human quality all too Former Labour Prime Min-
Williams was elected to Par- rare in politics. ister Tony Blair said “Shir-
liament as a Labour lawmak- “I think I know why people ley Williams was one of the
er in 1964 after several failed like me … because I listen to greatest social democrats of
attempts. She served as edu- them and I look as crummy the last century, an immense
cation secretary in a Labour far to the left, she was one of stead, the SDP itself later as they do,” she once said. figure of progressive politics
government in the 1970s — the “Gang of Four” Labour collapsed, merging with the In later years, Williams served through the decades, consis-
one of the country’s first fe- politicians who split to form Liberal Party into the Liberal as a Liberal Democrat mem- tent in her commitment to
male Cabinet ministers. the centrist Social Demo- Democrats. ber of the House of Lords as equality, to social justice, to
In 1981, believing the La- cratic Party in an attempt to The Lib Dems have some- Baroness Williams of Crosby, liberal social democratic val-
bour party was veering too reshape British politics. In- times attracted millions of retiring in 2016. ues and to internationalism.”

Somalia’s parliament votes to extend president’s mandate

(AP) — Somalia’s parlia- reach agreement on how to meeting in order to “avoid
ment on Monday voted carry out the election, with instability.” He was fired
to effectively extend the the regional states of Punt- shortly afterward.
mandate of the president land and Jubbaland object-
and federal government ing on certain issues and the Somalia now faces the pros-
by two years in an attempt international community pect of its first one-person-
to end a political crisis af- warning against holding a one-vote direct election in
ter national elections were partial election. The crisis decades. Parliament ordered
delayed in early February. led to deadly violence against that a caretaking council of
demonstrators who opposed ministers support the elec-
The vote to hold a direct elec- an election delay. toral commission in its prep-
tion in two years’ time, which arations for that vote.
would require the federal Monday’s vote in parliament President Mohamed Abdul-
government and president to was almost unanimous, with lahi Mohamed “urges the
stay in office, came amid in- 149 lawmakers in support, citizens to seize the historic
ternational pressure on So- three against and one abstain- chance to choose their desti-
mali leaders to end the stale- ing. The international com- ny as the House of the People commission members for the famine, left this Horn of Af-
mate. The United Nations munity has warned against a voted to return the elections breakaway region of Somalil- rica country of about 12 mil-
has warned that Somalia, re- mandate extension. mandate to the people,” the and. lion people largely shattered.
building after three decades presidency said in a Twitter Somalia began to fall apart in Al-Shabab controls large
of conflict and still rocked by The vote followed a brief post. 1991, when warlords ousted parts of southern and central
extremist attacks, can hardly drama in which the police Contentious issues in months dictator Siad Barre and then Somalia and often targets the
afford more instability. commissioner for Mogadi- of talks on the election pro- turned on each other. Years capital with suicide bomb-
shu and its surroundings, cess included the formation of conflict and attacks by the ings. The extremist group
Somalia’s government has Sadaq Omar Hassan, ordered of the electoral management al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab has been a frequent target of
been unable for months to police to stop the parliament commission, the selection of extremist group, along with U.S. military airstrikes.

Firefighter killed in blaze in Russian city of St Petersburg

(AP) — A major fire engulfed a business center in St.
Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, on Monday,
killing a firefighter and injuring two others.

The blaze spread across all four of the building’s floors and
was raging in an area of 10,000 square meters (more than
100,000 square feet), emergency officials said. Around 300
people were involved in battling the fire, authorities said.
One firefighter died and two others were hospitalized with
injuries, according to the Russian Emergency Ministry.
Forty people have been evacuated from the building, the
Interfax news agency reported.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire, and an
investigation was launched. The Interfax news agency re-
ported that the building where the business center was lo-
cated was erected in the 19th century, and its decrepit state
made it harder for the firefighters to tackle the blaze.