Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 2 July 2019

UK Treasury chief warns Tory contenders on spending promises

LONDON (AP) — British trade between Britain and
Treasury chief Philip Ham- the EU, plunging the coun-
mond on Monday warned try into recession.
the two contenders to be- Polls suggest a large ma-
come the country's next jority of Britons oppose a
prime that their expensive no-deal Brexit — but most
spending promises will be members of the Conserva-
impossible to deliver if the tive Party support it, and
U.K. crashes out of the Euro- shrug off the warnings of
pean Union without a deal. economic turmoil.
Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson is the front-runner,
Johnson, who are com- favored by many Conser-
peting for the Conserva- vatives for his popular ap-
tive Party leadership, have peal and his staunch sup-
both vowed to use a fiscal port for Brexit. He says leav-
cushion built up by the gov- ing the EU on the currently
ernment to soften the eco- scheduled date of Oct. 31
nomic blow from a poten- is a "do or die" issue and
tially disruptive Brexit. has threatened to with-
But Hammond said that un- hold an agreed 39 billion-
less Britain made an orderly pound ($50 billion) divorce
exit from the EU, the gov- payment unless the EU of-
ernment's "fiscal firepower In this two photo file combo image, Jeremy Hunt, left, and Boris Johnson, right, who are the final fers changes to the current
. will all be needed to plug two contenders for leadership of the Conservative Party, Thursday June 20, 2019. withdrawal agreement.
the hole a 'no-deal' Brexit Associated Press The EU says it will not rene-
will make in the public fi- gotiate.
nances." winner, to be announced divorce deal if necessary has been delayed twice Hunt, who campaigned
Hunt and Johnson — Brit- July 23, will replace Theresa — while also cutting taxes after Parliament rejected to remain in the EU during
ain's current foreign secre- May as party leader and and boosting spending on on three occasions the di- Britain's 2016 referendum
tary and his immediate pre- prime minister. public services and infra- vorce terms May's govern- battle, also says he's pre-
decessor — are compet- Both are wooing the largely structure projects. ment agreed with the bloc. pared to leave without an
ing for the votes of about pro-Brexit Tory grassroots by Three years on from Brit- Most economists say leav- agreement if he can't se-
160,000 Conservative Party promising to take Britain ain's 52%-48% vote to leave ing without an agreement cure a better deal from the
members across Britain. The out of the EU — without a the EU, Britain's departure would severely disrupt 27 other EU nations.q

Italian judge to rule on defiant migrant rescue ship captain

By FRANCES D'EMILIO off Sicily in the early hours
Associated Press of Saturday escaped injury
ROME (AP) — The German but the side of their boat
captain who defied Italian was damaged when the
authorities and rammed much larger rescue boat
her migrant rescue ship into plowed into it.
a border police motorboat Going into the hearing, one
while docking remained of her lawyers, Leonardo
under house arrest after Marino, said the 31-year-
questioning Monday be- old captain would answer
fore a judge in Sicily who all questions.
will decide if she can re- "Ms. Rackete acted out of
gain her liberty. a state of necessity and
Sea-Watch, the German didn't have any intention
humanitarian group that of using violence," Marino
operates the rescue ves- said.
sel Sea-Watch 3, said in a The lawyer was echoing
tweet that the judge will a contention made by
announce her ruling on Rackete herself in the last
Tuesday. hours at the helm of Sea-
Captain Carola Rackete's Watch-3 that the migrants
closed-door hearing be- were in a desperate con-
fore Judge Alessandra Vel- dition after 17 days at sea
la in Agrigento, Sicily, lasted Migrants disembark from the Ducth-flagged Sea-Watch 3 ship, at Lampedusa island's harbor, since leaving Libya in an
about three hours. Italy, Saturday, June 29, 2019. unseaworthy traffickers'
Rackete has become a Associated Press vessel.
kind of cause celebre for But Agrigento Prosecutor
some in her homeland for such rescues essentially Rackete for allegedly re- law. If charged and con- Luigi Patronaggio told re-
defying Italy's anti-migrant help human traffickers who sisting a war ship and us- victed, Rackete risks up to porters after the hearing he
Interior Minister Matteo Sal- launch unseaworthy boats, ing violence against it, a 10 years in prison. disputed that contention in
vini, who has vowed not to crowded with migrants, reference to the damaged The five officers aboard the court. "There was no such
let any charity rescue boat from Libyan shores. boat of the border police, police motorboat blocking state of need," Patronag-
disembark migrants on Ital- Prosecutors have opened which is considered as a her path to port on the tiny gio said he had argued be-
ian shores. Salvini contends an investigation against military force under Italian Italian island of Lampedusa fore the judge.q