Italian Left
join forces
to thwart
Salvini
By Giada Zampano in Rome
THE government crisis that
shook Italy last week has
provided a window of op-
portunity for the battered
Italian Left to clinch a gov-
erning alliance with the pop-
ulist Five Star Movement,
derailing plans by Matteo
Salvini, leader of the League,
to push the country to an
early election.
The unexpected alliance
between the centre-Left
Democratic Party (PD) and
the rival Five Star Movement
began to emerge last Tues-
day, when a divided Senate
was reconvened from sum-
mer recess to vote on the
date of a no-confidence mo-
tion against the prime minis-
ter, Guiseppe Conte, tabled
by the League. The move
was aimed at bringing down
the litigious coalition it
formed with the Five Star
Movement 14 months ago.
Mr Salvini is eager to capi-
talise on his soaring popular-
ity and the League’s success
in the European elections,
but in a surprise move, the
PD and the Five Star Move-
ment voted together to sus-
pend the League’s
no-confidence motion,
showing that, with the sup-
port of the smaller Left-wing
party LEU, they could hold a
majority in the upper house.
Ahead of Mr Conte’s ad-
dress to the Senate next
Tuesday, after which he may
resign, mediators from both
the PD and Five Star are fran-
tically negotiating to reach a
deal, which is seen as the
only way to stop Mr Salvini’s
ascent to power with a far-
Right coalition.
Macron hopes to soothe tensions with Putin ahead of G7 summit
By David Chazan in Paris
EMMANUEL MACRON, the French
president, will attempt to defuse ten-
sion with Russia over the Iran tanker
crisis, Crimea, Syria and the Skripal
poisoning in a controversial meeting
with Vladimir Putin today.
Mr Macron faced criticism for invit-
ing the Russian leader to France while
Mr Putin is intent on crushing opposi-
tion protests in Moscow and remains
intransigent over Crimea and Syria.
Mr Putin, who will be received at the
Fort de Brégançon, the presidential
summer retreat on the Riviera, will not
attend the G7 summit in Biarritz, in
south-western France, at the weekend.
But Mr Macron will try to persuade
him that better relations with Western
countries could help restore Russia’s
place among the group of industrial-
ised nations. It was suspended in 2014
from the G8, as it was then known, over
its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
By meeting Mr Putin and Boris John-
son in the run-up to the summit, Mr
Macron hopes to tackle what he sees astwo key threats to European success.
Mr Macron has promised “unprece-
dented security” for the Biarritz sum-
mit, warning that “violent French and
European groups” plan to converge on
the town. Anti-globalisation activists
will be prevented from holding a
planned “counter-summit” there, but
protesters have been given permission
to meet 15 miles south of it.
Christophe Castaner, the French in-
terior minister, said: “We are prepared
for counterdemonstrations and if they
are violent we will neutralise them.”Shopkeepers and restaurateurs in
Biarritz have demanded compensation.
They say up to half their sales are usu-
ally in August but they will lose out be-
cause much of the Atlantic resort will
be closed to holidaymakers for security
reasons. They argue that the 6,500 del-
egates, support staff and journalists at-
tending will not spend like tourists.
Mr Macron will report to his fellow
G7 leaders on his talks with Mr Putin.
But many analysts believe he is un-
likely to have any influence.
Galia Ackerman, a Russia expert,said France would gain nothing from
the visit. “He has given none of the as-
surances you would expect on human
rights, democracy or fair elections. In-
viting Vladimir Putin to France will
only bolster his aggressive positions.”
But Hubert Védrine, a former French
foreign minister, said Mr Macron was
right to attempt to re-establish a dia-
logue. He pointed out that France and
Germany had pressed to reinstate Rus-
sia’s membership of the Council of Eu-
rope in May after its voting rights were
suspended over its annexation ofCrimea. Some of the human rights
body’s 47 member-states argued
against the move, but most agreed that
it was preferable to engage with Russia,
rather than freeze it out.
Mr Védrine added: “We will always
be neighbours of Russia. So what do we
do? Either we stick to a policy of con-
demnation, sanctions that stupidly
push Russia towards China, which is
not at all what the Russians want, or we
try to restore a neighbourly discussion,
even if it’s complicated and we must be
very prudent.”Waiter, 28, shot
dead by customer
for slow service
By David ChazanA MANHUNT is under way after a
waiter was shot dead by a customer at a
café on the outskirts of Paris, appar-
ently for being too slow to serve him.
Enraged at being made to wait for a
sandwich, the customer pulled out a
handgun and shot the 28-year-old
waiter in the shoulder, witnesses said.
The waiter was still conscious when
police and an ambulance arrived min-
utes after the Friday night shooting,
but frantic efforts to save him failed
and he died at the Mistral pizza and
sandwich outlet in the east Paris sub-
urb of Noisy-le-Grand.
Witnesses helped police identify a
suspect, described as a 34-year-old
man with a criminal record.Parisians must learn to speak
English, says mayoral hopeful
By David Chazan
THE Académie Française has long
fought to stop English words creeping
into common French parlance, but an
ally of Emmanuel Macron is vowing to
make Parisians fluent in English.
Benjamin Griveaux made the pledge
as part of his campaign to become
mayor of Paris. The former govern-
ment spokesman and confidant of the
president said it was deplorable that
“Paris is a global city where we speak
English badly, when it is an essential
language to travel and work”.
Mr Griveaux added this his “aim is for
all Parisian children to be bilingual” by
the age of 16. Mr Griveaux wants to in-
troduce English in nurseries and organ-
ise extra-curricular activities in English.
Mr Macron, the French president,
often speaks English when meeting
foreign leaders, in a departure from
most recent French presidents.
Although he has backed efforts to
maintain French as an international
language, especially in France’s former
African colonies, and to resist the en-
croachment of English, he has been
mocked for his fondness of peppering
his speeches with English words.
Soon after he was elected, he ended
a speech about French business with
the English phrase: “I want France to
be a start-up nation.”
Like his mentor, Mr Griveaux sees
teaching English as “a useful invest-
ment for the future”.
Mr Griveaux, an MP for Mr Macron’s
La République en Marche party, is the
president’s favoured candidate for the
mayoral election in March.Pole position
Indonesian men
attempt to climb a
greased pole during
celebrations to
mark the 74th
anniversary of
Indonesia’s
independence at
the Deli River in
Medan, North
Sumatra. Indonesia
gained its
independence from
the Netherlands in
1945.DEDI SINUHAJI/EPA-EFE/REXMilitary girl Madonna has posted pictures of herself dressed in a military-style outfit,
complete with leather cap, at a private family party to celebrate her 61st birthday. The
American singer is planning a world tour to promote her latest album Madame X.Hong Kong families
gather in driving rain for
day of peaceful protest
By Sophia Yan China Correspondent
and Katy Wong in Hong Kong
HUNDREDS of thousands took to Hong
Kong’s streets yesterday, defying mili-
tary threats from Beijing and torrential
rain in efforts to reset the tone of a po-
litical movement that has engulfed the
city all summer.
Demonstrators started filtering in to
a massive park early in the afternoon
after police had approved a public
gathering. Many brought their chil-
dren along.
But the crowds were so big that they
spilt out into side streets, eventually
marching peacefully through several
neighbourhoods. Some chanted the
slogan “Hong Kong people, add oil!”
while others waved signs that read
“Our spirit will never die!”. Organisers
estimated 1.78 million protesters turned
out, with police putting the number at
just 128,000.
As a downpour suddenly started, a
pizza parlour began handing out free
slices, and taped signs to the window
saying “Cheer Up, Hong Kong”. Nearby
a bakery’s shelves were wiped clean as
some protesters seeking brief refuge
from the rain grabbed snacks.
Hong Kong is embroiled in its worst
political crisis since the former British
colony was returned to Beijing rule in
1997.
Protesters first took to the streets
against a now-suspended extradition
bill that would have sent people to face
trial in mainland China, where Com-
munist Party control of the courts con-
tributes to a 99.9 per cent conviction
rate.
Still, people stayed in the streets, de-
manding the government formally
withdraw the bill to prevent lawmak-
ers from quickly tabling and passing
the legislation in the future. Their calls
have also expanded to include broader
reforms, such as direct leadership elec-tions. But a five-day occupation of the
airport last week briefly turned ugly
and threatened to splinter public opin-
ion against the political movement,
which has enjoyed broad support.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled,
leaving thousands stranded. On Tues-
day, protesters swarmed around two
men suspected of being spies, and one
officer pulled out a gun as he fell to the
floor after being beaten by protesters
with his own baton.
As a result, demonstrators issued an
apology, and calls were issued all week
for rallies to stay peaceful, especially as
concerns grew that Beijing might make
good on its hints that it was ready to in-
tervene militarily.
“Hong Kong people can be totally
peaceful,” said Jimmy Sham, a repre-
sentative with the Civil Human Rights
Front, the pro-democracy group that
organised yesterday’s gathering, at the
podium.
Last night, it appeared protesters
had stuck to their resolve to have a big
showing with no run-ins with police,
who were in full riot gear.Mindful of last week’s
violence, thousands took
to the streets again but
avoided clashes with police
World news
Rescue under way
for Polish cavers
More than two dozen rescue
workers are battling to save
two cavers trapped in a
cavern in Poland’s Tatra
mountains, the country’s
mountain rescue service
said yesterday, after a
narrow tunnel flooded with
water, blocking their exit.
A representative said it
had not yet been possible to
establish contact with the
cavers and concern was
growing because of their
long exposure to extreme
conditions.WORLD BULLETIN
Zimbabwe police
ban demonstration
Police have banned an
anti-government
demonstration in Bulawayo
planned for today by
Zimbabwe’s main opposition
party, saying it was likely to
result in “public disorder”.
Police banned another
demonstration by the
Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) in Harare on
Friday, when they fired tear
gas at opposition support-
ers and arrested dozens of
people.Spain allows 100
migrants to dock
Spain yesterday offered to
take in the charity vessel
Proactiva Open Arms with
more than 100 migrants on
board, criticising Italy’s
“inconceivable” refusal to
allow it to dock.
Pedro Sánchez, the
Spanish prime minister,
cited the “urgent situation”
on the vessel and the
“inconceivable decision by
the Italian authorities ... to
close all its ports” to the
migrants.12 ***^ Monday 19 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
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