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A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 21 august 2019

Italian premier resigns, blames deputy for political crisis

By FRANCES D’EMILIO might be loath to make.
Associated Press Should any early elections
ROME (AP) — Italian Premier sweep Salvini into power,
Giuseppe Conte resigned financial markets could be
Tuesday, blaming the col- rattled by his Euro-skepti-
lapse of his 14-month-old cism.
populist government on Depicting himself in coun-
his rebellious, anti-migrant terpoint to Salvini’s often
Interior Minister Matteo Sal- derogatory depiction of
vini, who triggered a politi- European Union rules, Con-
cal crisis to try to force early te said: “I tried in these 14
elections. months to guide Italy’s
Addressing the Senate, policy along the path of a
Conte blasted Salvini for critical pro-Europe line, but
setting in motion a “dizzy- always oriented construc-
ing spiral of political and tively.”
financial instability” by es- While oft-bickering, the
sentially pulling the plug on government made up
the government. Salvini’s of the anti-establishment
right-wing League party 5-Star Movement and
sought a no-confidence the rival League party re-
vote against Conte ear- flected the results of Italy’s
lier this month, a stunningly Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, left, is hugged by Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio at the end of his 2018 election and aimed
bold move for the govern- address to the Senate, in Rome, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. to “interpret the desires of
ment’s junior coalition part- Associated Press citizens who in their vote
ner. Conte, a lawyer with whether to call new elec- Parliament election three years ahead of schedule, expressed a desire for
no political experience tions. Mattarella will first see months ago in Italy, as well perhaps as soon as late change,” Conte said.
who was tapped to break if another viable coalition as in current opinion polls, October. That would mean Despite the acrimony,
a post-election stalemate can be cobbled together. Salvini’s League party has political campaigning in Conte defended the gov-
last year, handed his resig- Salvini, who sat next to become the No. 1 politi- the middle of delicate bud- ernment’s support for Sal-
nation to President Sergio Conte during his speech, cal force among Italians. get maneuvers that will be vini’s migrant crackdown,
Mattarella at the presiden- smirking at times, declared, His crackdown on mi- closely monitored by the including stiffening fines to
tial palace Tuesday night. “I’d do it all again.” He re- grants, whom the party’s European Union. The EU is as much as 1 million euros
Mattarella, who is head of peatedly kissed a rosary he voter base largely blames concerned about Italy’s ($1.1 million) for captains of
state, requested that Conte slipped out of his pocket for crime, appears to be shaky finances and long humanitarian rescue boats
and the rest of the govern- right after Conte rebuked a huge factor in Salvini’s stagnant economy, and it who dock without permis-
ment stay on in a caretaker him for associating “po- climbing popularity. expects billions of euros in sion and allow migrants
role, while he works in the litical slogans with religious Early elections would pull budget slashing that law- ashore, as well as the sei-
coming days to determine symbols.” In the European the plug on Parliament 3½ makers running for office zure of such boats.q

French couple could face jail time for

taking Italian sand

Associated Press
ROME (AP) — A French couple faces up to six years in jail for taking around 40 kg (88.1lbs)
of white sand from a beach on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Italian finance police said Tuesday they discovered the sand from a Chia beach stashed
in 14 plastic bottles in the couple’s SUV during a check as it boarded a ferry Aug. 15 from
Sardinia to France.
The couple told police they didn’t know it was against the law to take the island’s famed
sand, which is protected as a public good. If found guilty, they face one to six years in
This picture taken on Aug. 16, 2019 by the Finance Police of the jail for aggravated theft.
Sardinian port of Porto Torres, Italy, shows 14 plastic bottles of
sand seized from a French couple in the trunk of the couple’s It’s not clear when a trial may be held.
car. Italian finance police say the sand theft was one of the bigger revealed during a recent
Associated Press crackdown.q