Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

Thursday 23 November 2017 WORLD NEWS
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UK budget sees economy wilting under Brexit pressure

By DANICA KIRKA the EU. He promised an ap-
Associated Press proach that would be “bal-
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s anced” amid pleas to end
Treasury chief has outlined austerity. And though Ham-
cautious spending plans mond did his best to put a
to a nation bracing for the happy stamp on things —
shock of leaving the Euro- Britain’s Press Association
pean Union, amid a stream described him as the chor-
of worsening of economic tling chancellor — the part
forecasts that hampered of his speech he himself de-
room for giveaways. scribed as “economicky”
Philip Hammond revealed revealed the painful truth.
the deteriorating outlook in The economy is slowing.
his annual budget speech The Office of Budget Re-
to Parliament on Wednes- sponsibility, an indepen-
day, with slowing growth dent body that provides
and a stubborn deficit offer- the chancellor with fore-
ing little space to increase casts, said it expects the
spending in the face of economy to expand 1.5
demands from teachers, percent this year, 1.4 per-
firefighters, police and the cent in 2018, and 1.3 in both
military. Adding to the pres- 2019 and 2020, before pick-
sure for fiscal restraint was ing up to 1.5 percent and
the need to preserve state finally 1.6 percent in 2022.
coffers for the potential tur- The OBR also cut its fore-
moil of Brexit. Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond waves and poses for the media as he holds cast for worker productivity
“We are at a turning point up the traditional red dispatch box, outside his official residence 11 Downing Street, before deliv- over the next five years. By
in our history,” Hammond ering his annual budget speech to Parliament, in London, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017. contrast, the neighboring
told the House of Com- (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) eurozone economy was
mons. “And we resolve to initiatives. He promised to let anyone say I don’t know was hoping for excitement growing at a 2.5 percent
look forwards, not back- “invest in the future,” with how to show the nation a without controversy — par- annual rate at last count.
wards.” money to improve infra- good time!” ticularly since anything too Slower growth and lower
Hammond set aside 3 bil- structure, spur the devel- Hammond, who has been revolutionary might get productivity mean British
lion pounds ($3.9 billion) opment of new technolo- nicknamed “Eeyore” be- voted down. The Chancel- tax revenues are likely to
over two years to pre- gies and teach advanced cause of his cautious ap- lor of the Exchequer tried grow more slowly in com-
pare for Brexit and offered mathematics to more chil- proach, had been under to paint an optimistic vision ing years, making it harder
a package of initiatives dren. pressure to appear upbeat of a “global Britain” that for the government to ease
to build new homes and “More maths for every- about the economy’s pros- would embrace the tech- the austerity that has char-
ease the country’s housing one,” Hammond said in a pects after Brexit. Prime nological revolution and acterized budgets since
shortage, but he otherwise cheerful effort to put the Minister Theresa May’s capitalize on the opportu- the global financial crisis
sidestepped eye-popping best face on things. “Don’t weakened government nities presented by leaving swelled Britain’s debt.q

Unrepentant Mladic sentenced to life for Bosnia atrocities

By MIKE CORDER ing Judge Alphons Orie John Dalhuisen, Amnesty the 1992-95 Bosnian war to degrading sexual acts with
Associated Press pronounced him guilty of International’s Europe di- its bitter end. one another. Many Bosnian
THE HAGUE, Netherlands 10 counts that also includ- rector. “The defense team consid- Muslim women who were
(AP) — An unrepentant ed war crimes and crimes For prosecutors, it was a ers this judgment to be er- unlawfully detained were
Ratko Mladic, the bull- against humanity. fitting end to a 23-year ef- roneous, and there will be raped,” Orie said.
ish Bosnian Serb general Human-rights organizations fort to mete out justice at an appeal, and we believe The judge recounted the
whose forces rained shells hailed the convictions as the U.N. tribunal for atroci- that the appeal will correct story of a mother who ven-
and snipers’ bullets on Sa- proof that even top military ties committed during the the errors of the trial cham- tured into the streets during
rajevo and carried out the brass long considered un- Balkan wars of the early ber,” Mladic lawyer Dra- the deadly siege of Sara-
worst massacre in Europe touchable cannot evade 1990s. Mladic’s conviction gan Ivetic said. jevo with her son as Serb
since World War II, was justice forever. Mladic signaled the end of the fi- Mladic’s son, Darko, said snipers and artillery target-
convicted Wednesday of spent years on the run be- nal trial before the tribunal his father told him after the ed the Bosnian capital. She
genocide and other crimes fore his arrest in 2011. closes its doors by the end verdict that the tribunal was shot. The bullet passed
and sentenced to spend “This landmark verdict of the year. was a “NATO commission through her abdomen and
the rest of his life behind marks a significant moment But legal battles will con- ... trying to criminalize a struck her 7-year-old son’s
bars. Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic flashes a thumbs up legal endeavor of Serbian head, killing him.
Defiant to the last, Mladic as he enters the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, people in times of civil war In Srebrenica, the war
was ejected from a court- Netherlands, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017, to hear the verdict in to protect itself from the reached its bloody climax
room at the United Nations’ his genocide trial. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) aggression.” as Bosnian Serb forces over-
Yugoslav war crimes tribu- Presiding Judge Alphons ran what was supposed to
nal after yelling at judges: Orie started the hearing by be a U.N.-protected safe
“Everything you said is pure for international justice and tinue. Mladic’s attorneys reading out a litany of hor- haven. After busing away
lies. Shame on you!” sends out a powerful mes- vowed to appeal his con- rors perpetrated by forces women and children, Serb
He was dispatched to a sage around the world victions on 10 charges re- under Mladic’s control. forces systematically mur-
neighboring room to watch that impunity cannot and lated to a string of atroci- “Detainees were forced to dered some 8,000 Muslim
on a TV screen as Presid- will not be tolerated,” said ties from the beginning of rape and engage in other males.q