Page 8 - aruba-today-20190216

A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 16 February 2019
Spain to get 3rd gov't in 4 years amid fragmenting politics

By ARITZ PARRA But the simple majority of
MADRID (AP) — Spain will Socialists, anti-austerity par-
elect its third government ties and regional nation-
in less than four years after alists that united against
Prime Minister Pedro San- Rajoy crumbled in the past
chez's fragile socialist gov- week after Sanchez broke
ernment acknowledged off talks with the Catalan
Friday its support had separatists over their de-
evaporated and called an mands for the indepen-
early general election. dence of their prosperous
Sanchez's eight-month-old northeastern region.
administration met its end Sanchez saw the Catalan
after failing to get parlia- separatists join opposition
ment's approval for its 2019 lawmakers to vote down
budget proposal earlier this his spending plans, includ-
week, adding to the po- ing social problems he had
litical uncertainty that has hoped would boost his par-
dogged Spain in recent ty's popularity.
years. Sanchez had the shortest
"Between doing nothing term in power for any prime
and continuing without minister since Spain transi-
a budget, or giving the tioned to democracy four
chance for Spaniards to decades ago.
speak, Spain should con- Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivers a statement at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, Without mentioning Cata-
tinue looking ahead," San- Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. lonia directly, Sanchez said
chez said in a televised Associated Press he remained committed
appearance from the to dialogue with the coun-
Moncloa Palace, the seat to highlight the increasingly cent elections. won a no-confidence vote try's regions as long as their
of government, after an ur- fragmented political land- The 46-year-old prime min- triggered by a damag- demands fell "within the
gent Cabinet meeting. scape that has denied the ister ousted his conserva- ing corruption conviction constitution and the law,"
The ballot will take place European Union country a tive predecessor Mariano affecting Rajoy's Popular which don't allow a region
on April 28. It is expected stable government in re- Rajoy last June, when he Party. to secede. q

Netanyahu leaves Poland after plane mishap delayed departure

By ARON HELLER It capped a tumultuous visit
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — for Netanyahu, who was
Israeli Prime Minister Benja- in Poland for a U.S.-spon-
min Netanyahu was forced sored security conference
to spend an extra night in attended by several high-
Warsaw after his plane was profile Arab officials from
damaged following an air- Gulf countries.
port mishap shortly before Netanyahu had hoped to
departure. He departed use the gathering to show-
around noon Friday, mark- case his budding ties with
ing an inauspicious ending the Gulf Arabs. But a verbal
to a turbulent visit. gaffe and a video leaked
The prime minister and his by his office threatened to
entire entourage were overshadow the event.
on-board a chartered El On the eve of the meeting,
Al plane shortly after mid- Netanyahu appeared to
night, after a two-day visit call on other participants to
to a high-profile security prepare for "war with Iran."
conference, when a ve- His office later said he had
hicle towing the aircraft on been mistranslated and
the runway crashed into only called on other coun-
it. A photo circulated to tries to "combat" Iranian in-
traveling journalists showed fluence in the region.
large scrapes in the under- Late Thursday, his office
belly of the aircraft. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacts during a bilateral meeting with United States briefly leaked a video
Netanyahu and his wife Vice President Mike Pence in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. showing Bahrain's foreign
were taken off the plane Associated Press minister, and representa-
and ushered back to their tives of Saudi Arabia and
hotel. Other aides, includ- again. for Warsaw Chopin Airport, front landing gear and the United Arab Emirates
ing Netanyahu's national A replacement plane was told The Associated Press lower fuselage, he said. Po- playing down the Israeli-
security adviser and his dispatched from Israel to the incident occurred as land's state commission for Palestinian conflict and
military secretary, spent the urgently return the prime the chartered Boeing 777 aviation opened a probe. harshly criticizing Iran.
night on the aircraft, say- minster before the begin- was being pushed back Netanyahu's government Netanyahu's office said the
ing they did not want to go ning of the Jewish Sabbath from its parking stand by has been trying to pur- video's release was a "tech-
through the hassle of pre- at sundown. a pushback vehicle. There chase an official plane for nical error" and quickly de-
boarding security checks Piotr Rudzki, a spokesman was damage to the plane's the prime minister to use. leted it.q