The Daily Telegraph - 06.08.2019

The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 6 August 2019 *** 11

Workers down tools

across Hong Kong in

effort to paralyse city

By Sophia Yan and Katy Wong
in Hong Kong

HONG KONG descended into chaos
yesterday as strikes paralysed the city
and clashes broke out in several neigh-
bourhoods after anti-government pro-
testers called for a citywide strike.
Tens of thousands of residents ig-
nored warnings from city officials to
“stand fast” in an act of mass civil diso-
bedience that raised the stakes in the
standoff by threatening Hong Kong’s
reputation as an efficient financial hub.
Civil servants, teachers, lawyers and
construction workers all downed tools
as the protest movement entered its
third month with rallies across the city.
Activists disrupted the morning
commute by blocking train doors with
umbrellas, fire extinguishers or their
own bodies. Others flooded at least 15
roads, including main thoroughfares,
and cut off access to three key tunnels.
Air-traffic controllers and airline
staff joined the strike, leaving only one
of two runways in operation and caus-
ing 200 flights to be cancelled.
Activists said earlier that they would
misuse emergency buttons on eleva-
tors and drive slowly to stall traffic with
the aim of sowing enough discord that
residents could easily join the strike by
saying they could not get to work.
Cheng Chi Fai, 40, a bank employee,
told The Telegraph that roughly 80 per
cent of his colleagues could not get to
work.
“I have been attending protests and I

don’t support the government,” he

said. “Instead of saying that protesters

are affecting the economy, it’s the gov-

ernment who should be responsible for

all this.”

Yesterday, riot police fired tear gas

and made most of their arrests in the

working-class neighbourhood of Tin

Shui Wai.

After the arrests, some enraged resi-

dents living in high-rise public housing

estates dropped objects on officers

from above.

“People used to feel secure when po-

lice were around,” said Louis Ma, 27.

“Now, that’s not the case – it’s the op-

posite. We’re all worried the police will

overreact, no matter who you are.”

Meanwhile, there were reports of

Mandarin-speaking gangs attacking

protesters in several neighbourhoods.

Additional reporting: Yiyin Zhong

Hard-up Italians

sink a fortune into

tarot card readings

By Nick Squires in Rome

A DECADE of almost zero economic

growth has sent an increasing number

of desperate Italians into the esoteric

embrace of tarot card readers, spiritual-

ists and sects, experts say.

Italians concerned about how to pay

the rent or their food bills are turning to

fortune-tellers and soothsayers.

Each year, 13 million Italians seek ad-

vice from a diffuse community of gurus,

astrologists and faith healers – up from

10 million in 2008, when the economic

crisis began – according to Codacons,

Italy’s consumer affairs association.

It is estimated that around 95 per cent

of the business goes undeclared and un-

taxed, with the sector worth around

€8 billion (£7.4 billion) a year.

Last year a call-centre based in Peru-

gia in Umbria was found to be offering

customers good luck amulets, which

would supposedly guarantee them find-

ing a job, for €200. It also offered clients

“a year of guaranteed economic seren-

ity” for a monthly payment of €300.

An investigation by Italy’s finance po-

lice found the call centre had earned

€4 million in four years, none of which

had been declared to the authorities.

World news

Demonstrators call for reforms at New

Town Plaza shopping mall in Hong Kong

Swedish town tells beggars

they need permit costing £

By Justin Huggler in Berlin

THE German air force is failing to meet
Nato minimum training requirements
because it does not have enough work-
ing aircraft, it emerged yesterday.
Almost half of its pilots were unable
to meet Nato’s target of 180 flight hours
last year as a result of planes being
grounded by maintenance issues.
Only 512 of the air force’s 875 pilots
met the target, the German govern-
ment admitted in a written answer to a
parliamentary question.
The disclosure will add to concerns
among Germany’s Nato allies about
chronic underfunding.
“The Luftwaffe is at a low point,” Lt
Gen Ingo Gerhartz, the air force chief
of staff, admitted at a defence industry
event in Berlin last month.
“Aircraft are grounded due to a lack
of spare parts, or aren’t even on site
since they’re off for maintenance.”
It was revealed in February that, on
average, only 39 of Germany’s 128

Eurofighter jets and 26 of its 93 older

Tornado fighters were available for

combat or training last year.

The latest details make clear the

scale of the task facing Annegret

Kramp-Karrenbauer, widely seen as

Angela Merkel’s designated successor

as chancellor, who took over as de-

fence minister last month.

The German parliament’s military

watchdog warned last year that equip-

ment shortages were so severe the

country could not meet its Nato com-

mitments.

Germany has come under intense

pressure from the US to increase its

spending on defence. Donald Trump,

the US president, has called on the

country to meet the Nato target of

spending 2 per cent of GDP on  de-

fence.

But Mrs Merkel’s government has

rowed back on pledges to increase de-

fence spending in the face of opposi-

tion from her main coalition partner,

the Social Democrats.

Despite pledges from both Mrs Mer-

kel and Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer to

move towards the target, German de-

fence spending remains far short of it,

at only 1.3 per cent of GDP.

There are now concerns that pilots

are leaving the air force in frustration

at being unable to fly.

Six resigned in the first half of last

year, compared with a total of 11 in the

five previous years.

“A pilot is only good in the air, not on

the ground. Our air force needs suffi-

cient flying hours,” Alexander Graf

Lambsdorff, an MP from the opposi-

tion Free Democrats, said.

Outcry as India revokes Kashmir’s autonomy

By Joe Wallen in Delhi and Ben
Farmer in Islamabad

INDIA’S decree to revoke Kashmir’s
autonomy after seven decades was met
with outcry in neighbouring Pakistan
and fears the disputed territory would
spiral further into violence.
Islamabad said it would “exercise all
possible options” to reject an “illegal”
act by Delhi, while the president of Pa-
kistan-controlled Kashmir warned that
the two countries could “go to war”.
Narendra Modi’s decision to abolish
the special status of Indian-controlled

Kashmir and make it a union territory

ends self-rule while giving his federal

government control over local police.

The decision will allow Indians from

outside the territory to settle, buy land

and hold local government jobs. Oppo-

nents fear his ruling BJP Hindu nation-

alist party intends now to change the

demographics of the Muslim-majority

region with a wave of Hindu migration.

Mr Modi’s move to tighten control

represented a far-reaching political

change in a dispute that has destabi-

lised the region for decades and three

times triggered war between India and

Pakistan.

The revocation follows a security

clampdown last week, which had seen

Delhi reinforcing troops and evacuat-

ing tourists in what is already one of

the world’s most militarised areas. A

violent insurgency has raged in Indian-

administered Kashmir since 1989 be-

tween Kashmiri militants seeking

independence or more autonomy from

Delhi and the Indian Army.

Communications were blocked yes-

terday, troops patrolled the capital of

Srinagar, public movement was heavily

restricted, and local leaders were put

under house arrest.

“All Kashmiris are under surveil-

lance, even the police, which is why no

one will speak directly,” said one law-

yer from Kishtwar in Kashmir. “We

have been told to stay inside and we are

worried that if we leave our house that

we will be labelled as secessionists.”

Mr Modi’s move completes a cam-

paign promise of 2014 and 2019 general

elections and appeared to burnish his

image as a nationalist strongman.

Kashmir weighed heavily on this

year’s election after Mr Modi ordered

an airstrike inside Pakistan to avenge

the death of more than 40 troops in a

suicide bombing claimed by Pakistan-

based militants.

BJP leaders praised the removal of

autonomy enshrined in article 370 of

the Indian constitution.

Arun Jaitley said: “What was a tem-

porary and transient provision cannot

be treated as permanent. It had to go ...

No dynamic nation can allow this situa-

tion to continue. A historical wrong has

been undone today.”

But Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief

minister of the region who was placed

under house arrest, described it as the

“darkest day in Indian democracy”.

“It will have catastrophic conse-

quences for the subcontinent,” she

added. “They want to change the de-

mography of the only Muslim majority

state in India, and disempower Mus-

lims to the extent where they become

second-class citizens,” she said.

Tushar Arun Gandhi, great-grand-

son of Mahatma and president of the

Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, said his

forebear would view the removal of Ar-

ticle 370 as “an abortion of democracy”.

“This is like a dictatorship trying to

grab something. There could have

been a much better manner to resolve

this ... a much more transparent man-

ner, which would have been much bet-

ter for democracy.”

“I think it will make the people of

Kashmir more suspicious of the gov-

ernment of India. I hope and pray it

doesn’t [cause more violence] but it is a

desperate prayer.”

Both India and Pakistan claim Kash-

mir in its entirety, and their dispute has

poisoned relations since Independ-

ence. They currently divide it along a

heavily militarised line of control

where they trade artillery fire almost

daily. India has long accused Pakistan

of fomenting armed insurrection in its

part of the territory and harbouring

militants fighting Indian troops.

Islamabad says it gives only moral

support.

Pakistan yesterday told India it une-

quivocally rejected “these illegal ac-

tions as they are in breach of

international law and several UN Secu-

rity Council resolutions”.

Police use tear gas in the working-class district of Wong Tai Shin as they confront protesters. One resident said: ‘We’re all worried the police will overreact, no matter who you are’

JEROME FAVRE EPA-EFE REX/REUTERS

Luftwaffe pilots grounded by

shortage of working aircraft

By David Millward

BEGGARS in a Swedish town will need
a permit before being allowed to pan-
handle for money.
The scheme, the first of its kind in
the country, has been introduced in Es-
kilstuna, a town of nearly 70,000 in-
habitants about 90 miles west of
Stockholm.
Costing 250 Swedish Kroner (£21),
the permit will be valid for three
months and is available online. Unli-
censed beggars can be fined up to SEK
4,000 (£342).
The scheme was approved by the
city council in June last year. Backed by
the majority Social Democrat, Moder-
ate and Centre coalition, it was op-
posed by the Left Party, Green Party,
Liberals and Christian Democrats.
Begging in Sweden has been a sub-
ject of political controversy for years,
with some calling for a nationwide ban.
In February last year, the council in
Vellinge in southern Sweden voted for
an outright prohibition. But the move,
heavily criticised by human rights
groups, was overturned by the courts.
Sweden’s government has been ex-
amining legislation making it illegal to

profit from begging. It was aimed at

groups exploiting vulnerable people.

The licencing scheme was a compro-

mise. However, it took more than a

year of legal wrangling before the ini-

tiative could come into force.

Jimmy Jansson, a Social Democrat

local councillor in Eskilstuna, said the

law would help vulnerable and home-

less people by bringing them into con-

tact with authorities and social

services.

“We’ll see where this goes,” he said.

“This is not about harassing vulnerable

people but trying to address the bigger

question: whether we think begging

should be normalised,” Mr Jannson

told the Aftonbladet newspaper.

“I hear a lot of criticism of any at-

tempts to regulate begging, but I don’t

see the same strength and energy di-

rected at the fact that people are forced

to beg in the first place.”

Some beggars have tried to sidestep

the licensing scheme by selling blue-

berries.

So far, according to the state broad-

caster SVT, eight applications have

been received and three other unli-

censed beggars have been moved on

by the police.

End of self-rule in disputed

territory risks inflaming

violence and escalating

tensions with Pakistan

Supporters of

Narendra Modi in

Ahmedabad

celebrate his move to

strip Kashmir of its

special status

512

The number of German air force pilots

(from a total of 875) who completed Nato’s

training requirement of 180 flight hours

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