Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 12 June 2019
Boris Johnson builds momentum in UK Conservative race

By JILL LAWLESS ing for her divorce deal
Associated Press with the EU. She’ll remain
LONDON (AP) — Boris John- caretaker prime minister
son solidified his front-run- until the party chooses a
ner status in the race to be- replacement.
come Britain’s next prime The candidates to succeed
minister on Tuesday, gain- her divide between those,
ing backing from leading including Johnson, who say
pro-Brexit lawmakers. the U.K. must leave on the
But he faced calls from his scheduled date of Oct. 31,
rivals to abandon his low- and others willing to delay
profile campaign strategy departure in order to se-
and start answering ques- cure a divorce deal that’s
tions from journalists and acceptable both to the EU
the public. Ten candidates and to Parliament.
are running to succeed “It is not going to be pos-
Theresa May, who stepped sible to leave on the 31st of
down last week as Conser- October,” said candidate
vative Party leader. Mark Harper, who said
Johnson, 54, has won the more time would be need-
backing of many Brexiteer ed to secure a reworked
Conservatives by promis- deal with the EU and get it
ing to lead Britain out of the through Parliament.
European Union by Oct. 31, But former House of Com-
with or without a divorce British Conservative Party lawmaker Boris Johnson leaves his home in London, Tuesday, June 11, mons leader Andrea Lead-
deal. Brexit-backing ex- 2019. som put herself firmly in
party leader Iain Duncan Associated Press the hard Brexit camp, say-
Smith wrote in Tuesday’s In a straw poll among a said whether he will partici- said “everybody who puts ing that “leaving the EU
Daily Telegraph that John- right-of-center bloc of Tory pate in planned televised their name forward to be on October 31 is for me
son “is the most likely to de- lawmakers on Monday, debates among leadership prime minister should be a hard, red line.” In votes
liver on the requirement to Johnson received almost candidates. open to scrutiny, should be starting Thursday, the 313
leave the EU” by that date. double the votes of his The right-leaning Daily Mail accountable.” Conservative lawmakers
Johnson has also been en- nearest rival. newspaper said in an edito- “I think everybody should will narrow the field of 10
dorsed by some pro-EU To- Most have given television rial that “if he wants to win, participate in the proposed candidates down to two,
ries who think the flamboy- and radio interviews and this bunker mentality is sim- TV debates and I think we who will be put to a vote of
ant, tousle-haired ex-for- held public launch events ply not good enough. Even have got to ask the ques- about 160,000 party mem-
eign secretary has the skills — things Johnson has so though he’s the favorite, tion, why not?” he told the bers nationwide.
to energize a demoralized far avoided, in an attempt he can’t just sit back and BBC. May resigned as Con- The winner, who will be-
party and win back voters to reduce the chance of hope to win by default.” servative leader last week come Britain’s next prime
angry at the mess politi- gaffes that could derail his Health Secretary Matt Han- after failing three times to minister, is due to be an-
cians have made of Brexit. campaign. He also has not cock, another contender, secure Parliament’s back- nounced in late July.q

Seen as pro-business, Macron shifts to the left at UN body

By JAMEY KEATEN fensive. At the centennial too distant for many French
Associated Press conference of the Interna- people. Macron was joined
GENEVA (AP) — French tional Labor Organization, by heads of state and gov-
President Emmanuel Ma- Macron said he supported ernment including German
cron on Tuesday called for efforts to reduce inequality Chancellor Angela Merkel
an EU-wide minimum wage between women and men and Russian Prime Minister
and a stepped-up fight in the workplace, strike Dmitry Medvedev. Many
against inequality, in what a minimum wage across addressed threats to tradi-
represents a return to his the European Union, and tional jobs posed by auto-
left-leaning political roots ensure that no more inter- mation and artificial intelli-
after critics have painted national trade deals con- gence and called for more
him as overly pro-business. tribute to “economic and multilateralism to address
In a speech to the U.N.’s labor dumping.” In a bid global problems.
main labor body, Macron French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his statement, to show he was listening Medvedev warned that
alluded to the protests by during the 108th session of the International Labour Conference to his critics, Macron said the global order was un-
the yellow vest anti-govern- - ILO Centenary Session, at the European headquarters of the it was the failures of lead- der threat and lamented
ment movement in France United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, June 11, 2019. ers “that lead to the suc- the negative impact of “il-
that has shaken his balanc- Associated Press cess of the extremes” and legal sanctions, protection-
ing act as a promoter of a type of opportunity,” Ma- cron, has faded in recent warned that a crisis has put ism and trade wars.” It was
business with roots in the cron said in remarks that weeks. The movement the world’s democracies a not-so-veiled reference
Socialist Party — which he appeared largely targeted started in November, when “on the brink of war if we to the United States, which
abandoned to set up his to a domestic audience close to 300,000 protested don’t watch out.” He insist- is on the cusp of a trade
own centrist party. that has questioned his around France. Violence ed that his centrist govern- war with China and has
“France has gone through qualifications as a center- and rioting overshadowed ment had at times come slapped crippling sanctions
very difficult crisis in the last left leader. the protests, damaging the up with “the right respons- on Iran. The U.S. is repre-
few months, which I have The yellow vest movement, movement and putting his es,” but acknowledged sented in Geneva beneath
personally experienced as which has challenged Ma- government on the de- that they had appeared ministerial level. q