Month: July 2022

The former head of the European Central Bank has led a unity government since February 2021.

In a statement, he said the pact of trust that had sustained the unity government had gone.

However, the president refused to accept his resignation.

President Sergio Mattarella appointed Mr Draghi to lead Italy’s post-Covid pandemic recovery, and save the country from endemic instability. He has now called on Mr Draghi to address parliament to provide a clear picture of the political situation.

The effect of President Mattarella’s intervention is not entirely clear. Mr Draghi is expected to go to parliament next Wednesday – and with sufficient backing could remain in office.

The extraordinary developments in Rome capped a day of drama triggered when Five Star leader Giuseppe Conte refused to back the government’s €23bn (£19.5bn) package of economic aid for families and businesses, arguing Mr Draghi was not doing enough to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Even though the government comfortably won Thursday’s vote in the Senate with the help of other parties, the man dubbed “Super Mario” had warned repeatedly that without Five Star’s support the government could not continue.

Mr Draghi paid a first, hour-long visit to President Mattarella and, after reflecting on his future, issued his statement of resignation.

“Today’s votes in Parliament are very significant from a political point of view. The national unity majority that supported this government since its creation no longer exists,” he said. After addressing ministers he returned to the Quirinale palace to tender his resignation to the president. Avoiding the cameras, he did not use the main door.

Elections were already due early in 2023 and, if the government does collapse, a vote is likely to take place this autumn. Several parties on the right are keen on early elections, but a period of political uncertainty will jeopardise Italy’s efforts to tackle a looming energy crisis and pass next year’s budget to secure EU funding.

Right up to the Senate vote, attempts were made to resolve the coalition crisis. Milan’s stock market tumbled 3.4% as nervousness spread to investors in the eurozone’s third biggest economy.

European Union Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, who is himself a former Italian prime minister, said earlier the EU’s executive was watching developments in Rome “with worried astonishment”. The head of Italy’s industry group Confindustria said Five Star’s decision had shown “total irresponsibility”.

Five Star was originally the biggest party in the coalition, but has seen a string of defections and falling support. Former party leader Luigi di Maio accused it of a cynical plan to bring down the Draghi government to revive its own support, while dragging Italy to economic and social collapse.

Parties across the political spectrum have had next year’s general election in their sights, especially on the right. Matteo Salvini of the far-right League and Giorgia Meloni of Brothers of Italy are competing for leadership of a potential right-wing coalition.

Ms Meloni called for elections, immediately announcing: “I’m ready to govern.” Mr Salvini said a period of political paralysis was unthinkable.

Politicians on the left are less prepared for elections and Democratic Party Secretary Enrico Letta said the focus now had to be on reconstructing a coalition in parliament so that the Draghi government could restart.

“She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life,” Mr Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.

Ms Trump, who was born in what is now the Czech Republic, married the former president in 1977. They divorced 15 years later in 1992.

They had three children together – Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric Trump.

Police believe the cause of death may be accidental, according to the Associated Press.

Sources told the news agency Ms Trump was found unconscious near a staircase at her New York City home, and it is believed she may have fallen.

Donald and Ivana Trump were notable public figures in New York in the 1980s and 1990s, and their split was the subject of intense public interest.

After their separation, Ms Trump went on to launch her own lines of beauty products, clothing and jewellery.

She took credit for bringing up their children in her 2017 memoir Raising Trump, saying she “made the decisions about their education, activities, travel, child care, and allowances” until college.

In the book, she added that her relationship with Mr Trump had improved since their divorce, and said she spoke to him about once a week.

The Trump family lauded her in a statement as “a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend”.

“Ivana Trump was a survivor. She fled from communism and embraced this country,” the statement added. “She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination.”

Eldest child Ivanka, who was said to be very close to her mother, said in an Instagram post she was “heartbroken”.

“Mom was brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny. She modelled strength, tenacity and determination in her every action. She lived life to the fullest – never forgoing an opportunity to laugh and dance,” she wrote.

Mr Trump was Ivana’s second husband. Her first, Alfred Winklmayr, was an Austrian ski instructor and friend who she reportedly married in order to obtain Austrian citizenship.

That marriage allowed her to leave her communist home country – which was then Czechoslovakia – without defecting.

A long-time skier, Ms Trump is said to have skied competitively in the country.

But Mr Trump’s claims that she was an alternate on the 1972 Winter Olympics team were refuted in 1989 by a local Olympic official.

While living in Canada in the 1970s, she worked as a ski instructor and model.

On a work trip to New York City in 1976, she met Mr Trump while with a group of models. They were married the following year and quickly became a tabloid fixture.

Over the course of their marriage, Ms Trump held several roles within the Trump Organization, including as manager of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

But Mr Trump reportedly locked her out of her office at the hotel in 1990 as they sparred over four pre-nuptial agreements.

When the divorce settlement was finalised in 1992, Ms Trump had signed a non-disclosure agreement but also received $14m (£11.8m) and a mansion in Connecticut among other things.

She was also married twice more: to Italian businessman Riccardo Mazzucchelli, from 1995-97; and to Italian actor Rossano Rubicondi, from 2008-09.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani wrote on Twitter that Ms Trump was “a truly talented, creative and beautiful person”, who had “contributed greatly” to his city.

“She lived the American Dream,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a top Trump ally.

In 2017, Ms Trump told ABC’s Good Morning America that she didn’t want to make Mr Trump’s current wife Melania jealous by calling him at the White House. “I’m basically first Trump wife. OK? I’m first lady,” she said.

It was one of many memorable quotes from the former model. In a cameo role in the 1996 movie The First Wives Club, she told disgruntled divorcees: “Ladies, you have to be strong and independent. And remember, don’t get mad, get everything.”

US President Joe Biden has ordered US flags to be flown at half-staff over the weekend in tribute to Abe.

His Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro, who himself survived an assassination attempt, announced three days of official mourning.

Abe was shot at twice while he was giving a speech on a street in the city of Nara on Friday morning.

The suspect, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, admitted shooting Abe with a homemade gun and said he had a grudge against a “specific organisation”, police said.

Both allies and traditional rivals of Abe have offered their condolences.

Mr Biden said he was “stunned, outraged and deeply saddened” by Abe’s death.

“Even at the moment he was attacked, he was engaged in the work of democracy,” the president said.

Mr Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, said Abe “was a unifier like no other” and said he hoped the suspect would be “be dealt with swiftly and harshly”.

Barack Obama recalled “the moving experience of traveling to Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor together”.

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro expressed “extreme indignation” at the killing and declared three days of official mourning in solidarity with Japan.

Mr Bolsonaro described Abe as a “brilliant leader” and “great friend of Brazil” in a tweet including a photo of the two men shaking hands at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2019.

“Let his murder be punished rigorously. We are with Japan,” he tweeted.

Brazil has the largest Japanese community outside the archipelago, with about 1.9 million immigrants and descendants.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II said she was “deeply saddened” by the news, adding that she had “fond memories of meeting Mr Abe and his wife during their visit to the United Kingdom in 2016”.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it a “despicable attack” and said that the UK stands with the Japanese people at a “dark and sad time”.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a “brutal assassination”. “This heinous act of violence has no excuse,” he tweeted.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin said he contacted Abe’s family to offer his condolences.

Abe was an “outstanding statesman” who “did a lot for the development of good neighbourly relations between our countries”, Mr Putin said.

Tributes have also been paid by countries that had a frostier relationship with Abe and Japan.

China and South Korea have historically had complicated and fraught relationships with Japan. Abe, known for his military hawkishness, was unpopular with citizens of both countries during his term in office.

Comments gloating over the attack on Abe have dominated Chinese social media, and have also surfaced on Korean platforms.

But South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called Abe’s killing an “unacceptable act of crime”.

“I extend my consolation and condolences to his family and the Japanese people for having lost their longest-serving prime minister and a respected politician,” Mr Yoon said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has not made a statement, but Beijing’s embassy in Japan said Abe made “contributions towards improving China-Japan relations during his term”.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a day of national mourning in honour of Abe.

“I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe,” Modi wrote on Twitter. “We stand in solidarity with our Japanese brothers and sisters in this difficult moment.”

Abe was shot dead while speaking at a political campaign event on Friday morning in the southern city of Nara.

Police investigating the assassination have said the suspect held a grudge against a “specific organisation”.

The alleged gunman, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, believed Abe was part of it, they said.

Yamagami has admitted shooting him with a homemade gun, according to police.

As a hearse carrying Abe’s body arrived at his residence in Tokyo, members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), dressed in black, lined up to pay their respects.

Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit this afternoon.

According to local media reports, a night vigil will be held on Monday and Abe’s funeral is due to take place on Tuesday.

Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and his death at the age of 67 has profoundly shocked a country where gun crime is very rare.

He was killed while campaigning for his party in the run-up to upper house parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Prime Minister Kishida, also an LDP member, said he was “simply speechless”, vowing that Japan’s democracy would “never yield to violence”.

He said the election campaign would continue on Saturday with tightened security, with Sunday’s vote still set to go ahead.

Police are investigating why Abe was targeted and whether his killer acted alone.

He was giving a speech on behalf of a political candidate at a road junction in the southern city of Nara when he was shot from behind.

Photos from the event show the suspect standing close to Abe moments beforehand.

Witnesses described seeing a man carrying a large gun moving within a few metres of Abe and firing twice. The former prime minister fell to the ground as bystanders screamed in shock and disbelief.

Security officers dived on to the gunman who made no attempt to run.

The weapon that killed Abe was made using metal and wood, officers said, and appeared to be wrapped in duct tape.

Several other handmade guns and explosives were later found at the suspect’s home.

Abe suffered two bullet wounds to his neck and damage to his heart during the attack.

He was said to be conscious and responsive in the minutes after the attack, but doctors said no vital signs were detected by the time he was transferred for treatment.

Medics worked for hours to save him before he was pronounced dead at 17:03 local time (08:03 GMT) on Friday.

On Japanese social media, the hashtag “We want democracy, not violence” was trending throughout Friday, with many users expressing their horror and disgust over the incident.

Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan, where handguns are banned and incidents of political violence are almost unheard of.

In 2014, there were just six incidents of gun deaths in Japan, compared to 33,599 in the US. People have to undergo a strict exam and mental health tests in order to buy a gun. Even then, only shotguns and air rifles are allowed.

Abe first held office for a year in 2006 and then again from 2012 to 2020 before stepping down, citing health reasons.

While he was in office, he pushed more assertive policies on defence and foreign policy and had long sought to amend Japan’s pacifist post-war constitution.

He also pushed for an economic policy that came to be known as “Abenomics”, built on monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms.

He was succeeded by his close party ally Yoshihide Suga, who was later replaced by Mr Kishida.

Prominent voices across the world condemned the incident, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling it a “despicable attack”.

US President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Kishida to express his “outrage, sadness and deep condolences” on Abe’s shooting. He said the assassination was “a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him [Abe]”.

Mr Biden ordered US flags to be flown at half-mast over the weekend.

In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro declared three days of national mourning, expressing outrage and sadness, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Abe as a global statesman.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called the attack an “unacceptable act of crime” and extended condolences to “the Japanese people for having lost their longest-serving prime minister and a respected politician”.

On Saturday, China’s President Xi Jinping sent his condolences Mr Kishida on the death of the former Japanese prime minister.

On Friday, comments gloating over the attack on Abe dominated Chinese social media and also surfaced on Korean platforms.

China and South Korea have historically had complicated and fraught relationships with Japan. Abe, known for his military hawkishness, was unpopular with citizens of both countries during his term in office.

Confirming her candidacy in The Times, Ms Badenoch said she wanted a limited government and to “tell the truth”.

The most high profile candidate so far is former chancellor Rishi Sunak – who threw his hat into the ring on Friday.

Former Brexit minister Steve Baker said he will not stand and announced he will back Attorney General Suella Braverman.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who resigned this week after dozens of government ministers quit, has said he intends to stay on in Downing Street until a successor is chosen.

Senior Conservative backbencher Tom Tugendhat has also launched a leadership bid – four MPs have so far done so.

Meanwhile, others tipped to be considering joining the race include former health secretary Sajid Javid, current Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, and former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt.

A timetable for the Tory leadership race is due to be confirmed next week and the new prime minister is expected to be in position by September.

Setting out her stall in an opinion article in The Times, Ms Badenoch said a “strong but limited government focussed on the essentials” was needed.

The 42-year-old MP for Saffron Walden – who was among those to resign their government jobs this week – said she would lower taxes, but also have a “tight spending discipline”.

“Without change the Conservative Party, Britain and the western world will continue to drift” and rivals will “outpace us economically and outmanoeuvre us internationally”, she wrote.

“I’m putting myself forward in this leadership election because I want to tell the truth. It’s the truth that will set us free.”

She said “people are exhausted by platitudes and empty rhetoric” and an “intellectual grasp of what is required to run the country” is missing.

During her time as equalities minister, Ms Badenoch was criticised by members of the government’s LGBT+ advisory panel in March over delays in banning conversion therapy.

She quit as a junior minister alongside four colleagues on Wednesday, saying in a joint-letter that she was stepping down from her two roles with “great regret”.

Announcing his leadership bid on Friday, Mr Sunak said: “Someone has to grip this moment and make the right decisions.”

The former chancellor said he wanted to “restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country” in a social media video.

Several senior Tory MPs have endorsed Mr Sunak’s campaign, including Oliver Dowden and Mark Spencer.

Mr Dowden, who resigned as party chairman last month, said the former chancellor was the “best person” to lead the country and beat Labour.

Meanwhile, Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said he would not be supporting Mr Sunak’s leadership bid and has criticised the former chancellor’s taxation policies.

“I will support a leader who believes in keeping public expenditure under control which I think is essential to deal with inflation,” he said on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions programme.