north america uk australia - amazon web services · corbyn urges general election to ‘solve...

1

august 19 (gMt) – august 20 (aEst), 2019

AUSTRALIAUkNORTH AMERICA

Trump dismisses recession worry

“I don’t think we’re having a recession,” Trump said as he returned to Washington from his New Jersey golf club. “We’re doing tremendously well. Our consumers are rich. I gave a tremendous tax cut and they’re loaded up with money.”

Teen shot dead in St Louis

Authorities say a 16-year-old aspiring football player has been killed and an 18-year-old wounded in a St Louis shooting It was reported that the shooting happened in the Carr Square neighborhood, in the northern part of the city. Family members say the slain teen was Jason Eberhart Jr. He is the 11th child or teenager fatally shot in St Louis city this summer.

PM in Vietnam, trade in focus

Trade and investment opportunities are expected to dominate Scott Morrison’s trip to Vietnam, the first stand-alone visit an Australian prime minister has made there in a quarter of a century.Morrison will land in Hanoi later this week to address a business dinner hosted by Vietnam’s chamber of commerce and attended by big commercial players.

PM pressured to recall parliament

Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to recall parliament following warnings that a no-deal Brexit would cause “incredibly serious” economic harm. The Prime Minister again asserted that he will deliver on his commitment to leave the European Union on October 31 as his allies sought to play down a confidential Whitehall dossier which detailed the problems posed by a no-deal scenario.

Corbyn urges general election

A general election triggered by the Brexit crisis will provide a “once-in-a-generation chance” for a change of direction in politics, with Labour prepared to do “everything necessary” to prevent no-deal, Jeremy Corbyn has said. The Labour leader used a speech in Northamptonshire to set out his vision to rebuild Britain.

PM: I’m not party to negotiations

The prime minister won’t meet with Ihumātao protesters before Thursday – the deadline given by the group to stop them marching to her Auckland electorate office. Protesters occupying the land near Auckland Airport will begin a four-hour hikoi to Jacinda Ardern’s Mt Albert office to present a petition calling on her to visit and walk on the land they’re fighting to keep from a housing development.

NEW ZEALANDUkNORTH AMERICA

YOUr dAILY TOP 12 STOrIES FrOM FRANk NEWS

FULL STOrIES STArT ON PAgE 3

2


AUSTRALIAUkWORLD

Turkey army ‘targeted’ in Syria

Turkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack. The defence Ministry said 12 other civilians were wounded in the strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.

Lead scrubbed from Paris streets

Specialists shoring up fire-damaged Notre dame cathedral have returned to the Paris site for the first time in nearly a month, this time wearing disposable underwear and other protective gear after a delay prompted by fears of lead contamination. Meanwhile, clean-up teams swept, sprayed and vacuumed neighbouring streets to scrub away any lead left over from the April blaze that decimated Notre dame’s roof and toppled its spire.

More missed mortgage payments

Westpac has reported a rise in the number of people missing mortgage payments amid a sluggish economy and a soft housing market. Australia’s second-largest bank said 90-plus-day delinquencies, the overall percentage of loans about three months overdue, were up eight basis points over the third quarter to 0.9 per cent.

Boy electrocuted on rail line

A 12-year-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital after he was electrocuted on a railway track. The child came into contact with overhead power lines on tracks in glasgow. Emergency services were called to the incident near Ashgill rd. British Transport Police said the boy was taken to hospital with injuries that are believed to be life-threatening.

Summer ‘house-buying spree’

The looming Brexit deadline is spurring some home buyers into action, according to a website. The average asking price on a home across Britain still fell by 1 per cent or £3192 month-on-month in August, rightmove said, adding this was a better performance than usual for the summer holidays.

Debate over dolphin protection

A group of conservationists marched has on Parliament demanding better protection for two of New Zealand’s native dolphin species. representatives from greenpeace and World Animal Protection New Zealand presented a petition signed by 55,000 people, wanting stricter regulations over fishing practices and protected areas.

NEW ZEALANDUkEUROPE

YOUr dAILY TOP 12 STOrIES FrOM FRANk NEWS

FULL STOrIES STArT ON PAgE 6

3


NORTH AMERICA

Teen shot dead, another injured in St LouisAuthorities say a 16-year-old aspiring football player has been killed and an 18-year-old wounded in a St Louis shooting.

It was reported that the shooting happened in the Carr Square neighborhood, in the northern part of the city. Family members say the slain teen was Jason Eberhart Jr. He is the 11th child or teenager fatally shot in St Louis city this summer.

His cousin, 49-year-old Charles Shelton, said Eberhart had “a lot of potential” and that the plan was “for him to follow his big brother in football”.

Eberhart’s brother, Antonio Phillips, plays football for Ball State University. His father played at the University of Illinois and has been a coach in the St Louis area. ■

donald Trump. - AP

NORTH AMERICA

Trump dismisses recession worriesPresident Donald Trump has dismissed concerns of recession and offered an optimistic outlook for the economy after last week’s steep drop in the financial markets.

“I don’t think we’re having a recession,” Trump said as he returned to Washington from his New Jersey golf club. “We’re doing tremendously well. Our consumers are rich. I gave a tremendous tax cut and they’re loaded up with money.”

A strong economy is key to Trump’s re-election prospects. Consumer confidence has dropped 6.4 per cent since July. The president has spent most of the week at his golf club in New Jersey with much of his tweeting focused on talking up the economy.

Aides sought to reinforce that message during a series of appearances on the talk shows.

Larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, dismissed fears of a looming recession and predicted the economy will perform well in the second half of 2019. He said that consumers are seeing higher wages and are able to spend and save more.

“We’re doing pretty darn well in my judgment. Let’s not be afraid of optimism,” Kudlow said.

Kudlow acknowledged a slowing energy sector, but said low interest rates will help housing, construction and auto sales.

Kudlow also defended the president’s use of tariffs on goods coming from China. Before he joined the administration, Kudlow was known for opposing tariffs and promoting free trade during his career as an economic analyst. Kudlow said Trump has taught him and others that the “China story has to be changed and reformed”.

democratic presidential candidate Beto O’rourke said the US needed to work with allies to hold China accountable on trade. He said he fears Trump is driving the global economy into a recession.

“This current trade war that the president has entered our country into is not working,” O’rourke said. “It is hammering the hell out of farmers across this country.” ■

4


uk

Jeremy Corbyn. - PA

Corbyn urges general election to ‘solve crisis’A general election triggered by the Brexit crisis will provide a “once-in-a-generation chance” for a change of direction in politics, with Labour prepared to do “everything necessary” to prevent no-deal, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

The Labour leader used a speech in Northamptonshire to set out his vision to rebuild Britain.

He said a general election could lead to a change on the scale of 1945, warning that things “cannot go on as they were before”.

Speaking at the Pen green Children’s Centre in Corby, Corbyn said Britain faces even greater problems than crashing out of the EU, and that a Labour government would offer the “real change of direction the country needs”.

Corbyn said: “Let’s be very clear – we will do everything necessary to stop a disastrous no-deal for which this government has no mandate”.

He added: “Labour believes the decision on how to solve the Brexit crisis must go back to the people. And if there is a general election this autumn, Labour will commit to holding a public vote to give voters the final say with credible options on both sides including the option to remain.

“Three years of Tory failure on Brexit have caused opinions to harden to such a degree that I believe no outcome will now have legitimacy without the people’s endorsement.”

Corbyn said Brexit is the “framework” for many of the UK’s problems, but warned issues like inequality run “much, much deeper”.

He added: “A general election triggered by the Tory Brexit crisis will be a crossroads for our country. It will be a once-in-a-generation chance for a real change of direction potentially on the scale of 1945.

“Things cannot go on as they were before. The Conservatives and a very wealthy establishment that they so happily represent failed this country. They failed to protect living standards, they have savaged our public services.” ■

Boris Johnson. - PA

uk

PM pressured to recall parliamentBoris Johnson is under mounting pressure to recall parliament following warnings that a no-deal Brexit would cause “incredibly serious” economic harm.

The Prime Minister again asserted that he will deliver on his commitment to leave the European Union on October 31 as his allies sought to play down a confidential Whitehall dossier which detailed the problems posed by a no-deal scenario.

But the leader of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said it was impossible to be fully prepared for the disruption that would occur following the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal.

And shadow chancellor John Mcdonnell threw his weight behind demands for Johnson to cut short parliament’s summer recess to face MPs at Westminster.

Johnson used a Twitter post to repeat his message that the UK would “leave the EU on October 31st, invest more money in the NHS and crack down on violent crime”.

He is expected to use his first foreign visits later this week to spell out his commitment to the Halloween deadline in talks with german Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris ahead of the g7 summit in Biarritz at the weekend.

The Prime Minister faced calls to step up efforts to secure a Brexit agreement after the risks posed by a no-deal outcome were outlined in documents on Operation Yellowhammer – the Whitehall codename for no-deal preparations.

They warned that Britain will be hit with a three-month “meltdown” at its ports, a hard Irish border and shortages of food and medicine if the UK leaves without an agreement. ■

5


NEW ZEALAND

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. - rNZ / dom Thomas

Ardern: I’m not a party to the negotiationsThe prime minister won’t meet with Ihumātao protesters before Thursday – the deadline given by the group to stop them marching to her Auckland electorate office.

Protesters occupying the land near Auckland Airport will begin a four-hour hikoi to Jacinda Ardern’s Mt Albert office to present a petition calling on her to visit and walk on the land they’re fighting to keep from a housing development.

The petition has been signed by more than 20,000 people.But Ardern said her visiting was not the resolution, but didn’t

ruled out visiting Ihumātao in the future.“It is not about me,” she said.“Me visiting doesn’t get us closer to a resolution, that

ultimately needs to come from mana whenua,” Ardern said.“I haven’t ruled out visiting in the future but right now I see it

as a distraction to finding a resolution.”Ardern and many of her ministers will travel to

Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia in the Waikato region on Tuesday, where she will meet with the Māori King Tūheitia.

While there she expected he would update her on the talks kīngitanga had facilitated between the two opposing groups at Ihumātao.

“Ultimately getting us to a resolution means being at the table with kīngitanga, that’s where the resolution will be found,’’ she said.

“Kīngitanga rightfully stepped in and offered a process and that’s what’s happening at the moment ... I think our role has been to support that and enable that.’’

“I’m not a party to the negotiations, the Crown is not a party in these negotiations,’’ she said. ■

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, right, shakes hands with Prime Minister of

Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc. - AP

AuSTRALIA

Trade in focus as PM jets to VietnamTrade and investment opportunities are expected to dominate Scott Morrison’s trip to Vietnam, the first stand-alone visit an Australian prime minister has made there in a quarter of a century.

Morrison will land in Hanoi later this week to address a business dinner hosted by Vietnam’s chamber of commerce and attended by big commercial players.

Two-way trade between Australia and Vietnam is at record levels, hitting $14.5 billion in 2018 and doubling since 2012.

Morrison will be looking to capitalise on momentum in the relationship, with only India-Australia trade growing at a faster rate than Vietnam.

Australia is aiming to help Vietnam implement the 11-country Trans-Pacific Partnership, with the communist nation needing to cut the number of state-owned enterprises to meet the trade deal.

Other trade-related issues likely to play a part in bilateral talks include opportunities around liquid natural gas and infrastructure development.

Major Australian businesses with a presence in Vietnam include ANZ Bank, rMIT International, which has a campus in the southeast Asian nation, shipbuilders Austal and logistics giant Linfox.

Morrison is also expected to receive all the pomp and ceremony of an official state visit before his one-on-one meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The Australian prime minister will visit Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house, where the founding president and revolutionary lived intermittently between 1958 and his death in 1969.

Australia’s defence and security relationship will also be in focus with Vietnam set to take a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council next year.

Vietnam will also assume the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2020. ■

6


EuROpE

Workers in protective clothing clean the area in front of Notre dame cathedral. - AP

Lead scrubbed from streets near Notre DameSpecialists shoring up fire-damaged Notre Dame cathedral have returned to the Paris site for the first time in nearly a month, this time wearing disposable underwear and other protective gear after a delay prompted by fears of lead contamination.

Meanwhile, clean-up teams swept, sprayed and vacuumed neighbouring streets to scrub away any lead left over from the April blaze that decimated Notre dame’s roof and toppled its spire. Toxic dust spewed into the air as hundreds of tons of lead melted in the fire.

At the cathedral itself, activity resumed under strict new lead-protection measures for the stonemasons, clean-up workers and scientists working on the monument, according to the Culture Ministry. They include throwaway full-body clothing, obligatory showers and a new decontamination zone to ensure that no one tracks pollution outside the site.

The workers are clearing out hazardous debris and studying and consolidating the medieval monument – a crucial first step to prepare the fragile cathedral for a years-long, multimillion-euro reconstruction effort.

But even this first step is taking longer than expected because of lead worries.

Some environmental activists and residents say French authorities underplayed the lead poisoning risks in the aftermath of the blaze.

Under pressure from labor inspectors, the Paris regional administration ordered the consolidation work to be halted pending new worker-protection measures. Labor inspectors approved the changes and allowed the work to resume starting today. ■

Syrian White Helmet civil defence workers search for victims under the rubble of a

destroyed building that was hit by an airstrike. - AP

WORLD

Turkey army convoy ‘targeted’ in SyriaTurkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack.

The defence Ministry said 12 other civilians were wounded in the strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.

The ministry didn’t provide other details but “strongly condemned” the airstrikes, adding they were contrary to “existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with russia”.

It called for “urgent measures” to prevent a repeat of the incident.

It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the strikes, Syrian or russian warplanes. Turkey has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib as part of an agreement reached with russia.

Turkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack.

The defence Ministry said 12 other civilians were wounded in the strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.

The ministry didn’t provide other details but “strongly condemned” the airstrikes, adding they were contrary to “existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with russia”.

It called for “urgent measures” to prevent a repeat of the incident.

It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the strikes, Syrian or russian warplanes. Turkey has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib as part of an agreement reached with russia. ■

7


uk

Brexit triggers summer ‘house-buying spree’The looming Brexit deadline is spurring some home buyers into action, according to a website.

The average asking price on a home across Britain still fell by 1 per cent or £3192 month-on-month in August, rightmove said, adding this was a better performance than usual for the summer holidays.

The average price tag now stands at £305,500.The number of sales being agreed is the strongest for this

time of year since 2015 and are 6.1 per cent higher than a year ago, according to the index.

The north-east of England, the east of England and Yorkshire and the Humber are leading the way with sales over 10 per cent higher than a year earlier, rightmove said.

Miles Shipside, rightmove director said: “Surprisingly there seems to be a bit of a summer buying spree, despite it normally being a quieter time of year.

“For some reason more buyers have cottoned on to the fact that it can be a good time of year to buy, with less competition from other buyers, and sellers typically more willing to accept a lower price.”

He continued: “While the end of October Brexit outcome remains uncertain, more buyers are now going for the certainty of doing a deal, with some having perhaps hesitated earlier in the year.” ■

uk

Boy, 12, electrocuted on railway trackA 12-year-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital after he was electrocuted on a railway track.

The child came into contact with overhead power lines on tracks in glasgow. Emergency services were called to the incident near Ashgill rd.

British Transport Police said the boy was taken to hospital with injuries that are believed to be life-threatening.

BTP have launched an investigation to establish how the boy came into contact with the power lines and appealed for information.

detective Inspector Brian McAleese said: “This was a catastrophic incident for the young boy, who remains in hospital receiving treatment to a number of very serious injuries.

“His condition is believed to be life-threatening and we have specially trained officers supporting his family during this incredibly difficult time.

“We are making a number of urgent inquiries to establish the full circumstances leading to this boy coming into contact with the overhead power lines.

“While we have no reason to suspect there are any suspicious circumstances, we would ask anyone who witnessed what happened to get in touch.”

BTP said officers will be carrying out extra patrols in the area over the coming days to help reassure the community. ■

8


Debate over dolphin protection planA group of conservationists marched has on Parliament demanding better protection for two of New Zealand’s native dolphin species.

representatives from greenpeace and World Animal Protection New Zealand presented a petition signed by 55,000 people, wanting stricter regulations over fishing practices and protected areas.

It is believed there are only around 60 Māui dolphins, and Hector’s dolphins are currently on the critically endangered list.

About 30 people attended the march, carrying cut-out photos of dolphins, and chanting “extinction is forever”.

In attendance was actor robyn Malcolm, along with her niece.

“The survival of the planet depends on the survival of the entire ecosystems,” she said.

“But also, they [Māui and Hector’s dolphins] are ours. We look after our own backyard don’t we. I feel like it’s a national responsibility.”

The petition was presented to the Minister for Conservation, Eugenie Sage.

The petition was designed to put pressure on the government during the public consultation on the review of the Hector’s and Māui dolphin Threat Management Plan.

The plan was first created in 2007, which led to the establishment of four marine mammal sanctuaries, to protect the endemic species. It underwent a review in 2012, and is now in the process of being reviewed again.

But under the current proposals in the latest review, greenpeace and World Animal Protection believe it will not be enough. In the petition, they have demanded an extension to the marine mammal sanctuaries, as well as a ban on stop net and trawl fishing.

This proposal would greatly restrict inshore fishing, especially on the West Coast of the North Island. ■

NEW ZEALAND

A Māui dolphin. - Earthrace Conservation / Liz Slooten

Bank sees more missed mortgage paymentsWestpac has reported a rise in the number of people missing mortgage payments amid a sluggish economy and a soft housing market.

Australia’s second-largest bank said 90-plus-day delinquencies, the overall percentage of loans about three months overdue, were up eight basis points over the third quarter to 0.9 per cent.

The country’s housing market has been under immense strain, with housing prices having fallen every month since late 2017.

But recent encouraging signs in June from Sydney and Melbourne, and interest building from Chinese buyers, a key base, have spurred hopes that things may be improving.

“Softness in property market contributing to an increase in the time it takes to sell a property have contributed to the rise in delinquencies and properties in possession,” Westpac said.

Properties in possession now sit at 550, a jump of 68 over the quarter.

Many hope back-to-back reserve Bank rate cuts in June and July will boost consumer sentiment across the housing market, which may also get a lift from recently passed tax cuts.

The proportion of assets classified as stressed rose in the third quarter by 10 basis points to 1.2 per cent, the lender said in a limited third-quarter update.

The Sydney-based lender’s common equity Tier 1 capital ratio, a measure of the bank’s core equity capital, inched down to 10.5 per cent at the end of June from 10.6 per cent at March 31. ■

AuSTRALIA

north america uk australia - amazon web services · corbyn urges general election to ‘solve...

Documents