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A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 13 april 2018

Macron: France must face up to new economic challenges

By SYLVIE CORBET rights with moves that risk from French train unions re-
PARIS (AP) — French Presi- increasing wealth disparity sisting his attempts to elimi-
dent Emmanuel Macron in a country whose nation- nate rules that effectively
declared Thursday that al motto includes the word give workers jobs for life.
strikes and protests will not "equality." It has prompted nation-
prevent him from overhaul- Macron justified a tax rise wide strikes that have mas-
ing the nation's economy for retirees, saying it's need- sively disrupted train traffic,
— comments that came as ed to be able to finance and unions plan periodic
train workers, hospital staff, the pensions. He also in- rolling strikes through June.
students, retirees, lawyers sisted tax cuts for employ- Legislators begin debating
and magistrates are chal- ees and businesses would the train labor bill this week.
lenging his economic vi- boost investment and cre- Polls show the majority of
sion. ate more jobs. the French approve the
Macron appeared on na- Last year, despite labor changes to rail service, but
tional television TF1 Thurs- protests, the government a growing minority supports
day to respond to the pub- French President Emmanuel Macron walks in a classroom be- used a special, accelerat- the strikes. The strikes and
lic's concerns and defend fore a televised interview in Berd'huis, south of Paris, Thursday, ed procedure to push a la- protests evoke 1995, when
his economic policies and April 12, 2018. bor bill through parliament massive general strikes
tax changes, which he says Associated Press that many feel weakened forced President Jacques
are aimed at modernizing France's worker protec- Chirac's government to
the country. meant to prepare France's a fight for the identity of tions. abandon its economic re-
The interview, in a school- national SNCF railway to France, Macron wants This spring, Macron's gov- form agenda. This week,
room in a small village in open up to competition. to reduce the role of the ernment initiated changes protesting students are
western France, came "We will continue be- state and inject vitality in to tax retirees more and occupying and partially
hours ahead of a new cause the world around the economy by trimming employees less, cut jobs in blocking several public
round of train worker strikes. us is speeding up, going guarantees for workers some hospitals, reorganize universities. They fear that
Speaking with children's through great changes, and increasing competi- the justice system and ap- a bill to reorganize univer-
drawings in the back- and because our country tion among companies, ply a new university admis- sity admissions will threaten
ground, Macron said pub- must be able to choose its among other things. sions system — all prompt- the current system, under
lic anger "doesn't stop" destiny and live better," he His critics say he is favor- ing protests. which all high school grad-
him and vowed to con- said. ing the rich and eroding But Macron's biggest chal- uates have free access to
tinue with the train reforms, In what some portray as workers' hard-won labor lenge as president so far is public universities.q

Spain's high court blocks

Catalan separatist's power bid

repeatedly thwarted their investiture session. Thursday that the Span-
ambitions, however, be- The northeastern region of ish arrest warrant should
cause the Constitution says Catalonia, Spain's wealthi- be considered invalid be-
Spain is "indivisible." est, has been without its cause the politician has
Llarena said the only new own government since an committed no crime under
argument in Sanchez's lat- election in December that Scottish law.
est request was a refer- was called by Spain's na- Ponsati, a professor at St.
ence to the U.N.'s Human tional government in Ma- Andrews University in Scot-
Rights Committee calling drid in an attempt to end a land, was arrested last
Backdropped by supporters former Catalan Minister Professor for Spain to respect the standoff with secessionists. month at Spain's request.
Clara Ponsati, who is facing extradition to Spain, stands outside rights of arrested Catalan Spanish authorities are Her lawyers said during a
Edinburgh Sheriff Court with her lawyer Aamer Anwar, left, after
an extradition hearing, Thursday April 12, 2018. separatists. The judge said showing no sign of letting Thursday hearing at Ed-
Associated Press the U.N. body had made up on pursuing legal charg- inburgh Sheriff Court that
no specific demands. es against those behind the they would fight extradi-
By BARRY HATTON He is being detained while Llarena also denied San- independence movement. tion on the validity of the
Associated Press the Supreme Court inves- chez's request to appear in Llarena last month charged warrant and Ponsati's hu-
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — tigates whether he or- the Catalan parliament via 13 leading Catalan sepa- man rights. The case will be
Spain's Supreme Court on chestrated protests that a video link. ratist politicians with rebel- heard in July.
Thursday turned down a hindered officials who Sanchez, who was elected lion for their attempts to Outside court, attorney
second request by a jailed were trying to stop a court- to the Catalan parliament make the region indepen- Aamer Anwar accused
leader of Catalonia's in- banned Catalan indepen- in December, hoped to dent and ordered that in- Spanish authorities of "pros-
dependence movement dence referendum last Oc- attend a parliamentary ternational arrest warrants ecuting Clara for her politi-
to be released so regional tober. The ballot triggered session Friday where the be issued for six who fled cal opinions."
lawmakers can vote on Spain's worst political crisis slender majority of pro- the country. Also Thursday, Spanish
making him their leader. in decades. independence lawmakers Former regional President prosecutors requested pre-
Judge Pablo Llarena said in Pro-independence political were to debate making Carles Puigdemont was trial detention for a woman
a ruling that there remained parties in Catalonia have him Catalan president. arrested in Germany. They believed to be a leader of
a risk that Jordi Sanchez, a defied the Spanish govern- Following the Supreme are all fighting extradition. Catalonia's Committees
prominent Catalan seces- ment for the past six months Court ruling, Catalan par- The lawyer for one fugitive, for the Defense of the Re-
sionist, would repeat the of- with efforts to secede from liament Speaker Roger former Catalan govern- public, a grassroots group
fenses that landed him in a Spain and create a new Torrent announced the ment minister Clara Pon- that organizes protests. The
Madrid jail. country. Court rulings have postponement of Friday's sati, said in a Scottish court court did not name her.q