Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20210126

A30 world news
Diamars 26 Januari 2021

Italian premier to offer resignation as government wobbles

(AP) — Italian Premier tion to have solid leadership that can escort Italy out of
Giuseppe Conte intends as it struggles with the CO- this disaster.”
to offer his resignation VID-19 pandemic, with its The leader of a main coali-
on Tuesday, his office said devastating effects on Italy’s tion partner, the Democrat-
Monday, a move seen as long-stagnant economy. ic Party, pushed for a fresh
gamble that the embat- After consultations with mandate for Conte, who de-
tled leader will get a fresh leaders of both government spite the euro-skepticism of
mandate from the presi- and opposition parties, the the 5-Stars, has lately been
dent to try to forge a more president could also decide to professing staunch support
viable coalition. tap someone else deemed to for the European Union, in
have better chances of form- an apparent bid to woo cen-
Conte survived two confi- ing a more solid government. trist lawmakers now in the
dence votes in Parliament last If no one can forge a more opposition.
week but crucially lost his ab- viable, dependable coalition, The Democrats’ leader,
solute majority in the Senate Mattarella has the option of Nicola Zingaretti, rooted
with the defection of a cen- dissolving Parliament, setting in a tweet for a new Conte
trist ally, ex-Premier Matteo the stage for an election two rapid succession to the palace form the European Union government that would be
Renzi. That hobbled his gov- years early. for talks. how it intends to spend some “clearly pro-Europe and
ernment’s effectiveness in Conte has led a long-bicker- Key support for whatever 200 billion euros ($250 bil- backed by a wide parliamen-
the middle of the pandemic, ing center-left coalition for government might come lion) in recovery funds, tary base that would guaran-
which has devastated Italy’s 16 months. Before that, for next could come from the focused on reforming the tee credibility and stability to
long-stagnant economy. 15 months, he headed a gov- centrist opposition party of country’s health and other face the great challenges that
Conte’s office said Monday ernment still with the popu- former Premier Silvio Ber- institutional systems. Italy has before it.”
night that the premier will list 5-Star Movement, Parlia- lusconi. Just hours before the One of Renzi’s issues with But analysts saw Conte’s
inform his Cabinet at a meet- ment’s largest party, but in announcement by Conte’s Conte was what he contend- support from his own coali-
ing Tuesday morning of his coalition with the right-wing office, the media mogul said ed was too much decision- tion as fluid.
“will to go to the Quirinale League party of Matteo Sal- he was trusting the “politi- making power concentrated “A new coalition govern-
(presidential palace) to hand vini. cal wisdom” of Mattarella in the premier’s hand on the ment, either under Conte or
in his resignation.” That first government col- to indicate the way out of funding programs. a different prime minister,
Then Conte intends to head lapsed when Salvini yanked the crisis. “The high road is Salvini said he had called a remains the most likely out-
to the palace to meet with his support in a failed bid to one only,” Berlusconi said in meeting of center-right lead- come,’’ said London-based
President Sergio Mattarella, win the premiership for him- a statement. That solution ers, including far-right-leader Wolfango Piccoli, co- presi-
who, as head of state, can ac- self. would be a “new government Giorgia Meloni and Berlus- dent of Teneo analyst group.
cept the resignation, possibly Conte, while identified with that would represent sub- coni’s fold to bolster the op- But, “the bottom line is that
asking the premier to then the 5-Star Movement, doesn’t stantial unity of the country position’s press for elections. Italy will continue to be gov-
see if he can assemble a more head any party. So, in a depar- in a moment of emergency” “The Italians need hospitals, erned by an executive that
solid coalition that can com- ture from Italy’s frequent po- or it could be a new election open and safe schools, and a is not apt for the tough job
mand a dependable majority litical crisis, he won’t be part “to give back the (deciding) year of tax peace to give back ahead, just as it has been the
in Parliament. of the formal consultations word to the Italian” voters. breath and hope to families case since the last election” in
Mattarella has frequently with Mattarella, who meets By the end of February, the and businesses,” Salvini said. 2018, Piccoli wrote in a state-
stressed the need for the na- with party leaders coming in Italian government must in- “This isn’t the government ment.

Mexico population rises to 126M; now older, better educated

(AP) — Mexico’s just- nected to the internet, total count from 114 million The median age has risen to And illiteracy fell to 4.7%. It
completed census puts officials announced Mon- in 2010. The census agency 29 years from 26 in 2010 and had been 9.5% 20 years ago.
the country’s population day. found that about 1.2 million 22 in 2000. Among those 12 years or old-
at 126 million people, and were born outside Mexico — The average level of educa- er, nearly 76 percent of males
finds it a bit older, better The every-decade census car- nearly 800,000 of them in the tion rose to 9.7 years from 8.6 and 49 percent of females
educated and more con- ried out last year raised the United States. 10 years ago and 7.5 in 2010, were employed.
The number of people speak-
ing one of Mexico’s many In-
digenous languages rose to
nearly 7.4 million, up from
6.9 million a decade ago. But
it slipped as a proportion of
the overall population, to
6.1% from 6.6%. Some 2% of
those surveyed — nearly 2.6
million people — considered
themselves as Afro-Mexican
or of African descent.
Over the past decade, inter-
net access rose to cover 52%
of households (up from 21%)
and 87.5% of households re-
ported having a cellphone,
while the number with fixed
phone lines slumped to
37.5% from 43.2% in 2010.
The most populous state was
the State of Mexico, which
borders Mexico City on three
sides, with about 17 million
people. The least populated
was Colima on the west-cen-
tral coast, with 732.000.