north america uk australia + new zealand · lights and reopening national parks and museums for the...

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January 28 (GMT) – January 29 (aEST), 2019

AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALANDUKNORTH AMERICA

Trump admits wall deal unlikely

President Donald Trump says the odds congressional negotiators will craft a deal to end his border-wall standoff with Congress are “less than 50-50”. As hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers prepared to return to work, Trump said he didn’t think the negotiators would strike a deal he’d accept. He pledged to build a wall anyway using his executive powers to declare a national emergency if necessary.

Uncertainty after shutdown ends

Federal employees are turning on office lights and reopening national parks and museums for the first time in weeks, but others employed by government contractors face more uncertainty over when they’ll resume work or whether they’ll ever be paid for time lost to the stalemate over President Donald Trump’s border wall.

Canberra backs Guaido

Australia has joined the United States and others in recognising Juan Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela, as the country grapples with deadly protests and political unrest. But an Australian expert on the Latin American nation said the Venezuelan armed forces – not foreign powers – will determine the fate of embattled president Nicolás Maduro.

Pressure mounts over backstop

Prime Minister Theresa May is under renewed pressure from Brexiteers to secure fresh concessions on the Northern Irish backstop, as Dublin warned there was no room for manoeuvre on the issue. With May facing another Commons showdown over her EU withdrawal agenda, Downing Street is battling to keep control of the Brexit timetable.

Commons set for showdown

In what is shaping-up to be Brexit’s “Super Tuesday” showdown in the Commons, various factions of MPs are competing to stamp their mark on the EU withdrawal agenda. With parliamentary tradition upended by the battle for control of Brexit, what would normally have been just a bland neutral motion by the government on Prime Minister Theresa May’s policy stance now threatens to take on a life of its own.

Heatwave breaks records

Hawke’s Bay and parts of the Upper South Island have reached 37C as temperatures continue to climb Meanwhile in the Wider Nelson area, Richmond’s minimum temperature of 24.3C has set a new record. Records began in the area 157 years ago. A day after the temperature in Blenheim neared 35C. The town is expected to top that today, with Gisborne close behind on 34C.

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AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALANDUKREST OF THE WORLD

Dam collapse death toll rises

The Civil Defense office in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has raised the number of confirmed deaths in a dam collapse to 58. More than 300 people were still missing. Brazilian officials resumed the search for the missing after briefly suspending it amid fears a second dam was at risk of breach.

EU warned about sanctions

The Trump administration is closely eyeing efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran and avoid running afoul of sanctions the US has levied on the Islamic republic. The White House is putting the Europeans on notice, saying that if they try to do an end-run around US sanctions on Iran, they will be subject to stiff fines and penalties.

Reports of another mass fish kill

A drop in temperatures and some rain is likely behind another mass fish kill reported along the Darling River in far western NSW, the state government says. Local Graeme McCrabb posted photos on social media of floating dead fish in the weir pool at Menindee. “It’s starting again,” he wrote. The NSW Department of Primary Industries has sent officers to investigate the event.

‘Responsible’ to rule out no-deal

The government must rule out a no-deal Brexit, an influential Westminster committee has concluded. Exiting the EU Committee chairman Hilary Benn said pursuing a so-called managed no-deal as an alternative to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal would be irresponsible. following the record defeat for May’s Plan A, the committee has considered alternatives, including extending Article 50.

UK is ‘angrier’ since referendum

More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of Britons say the country has got angrier since the Brexit referendum and one in six have fallen out with family and friends over Europe, according to new research. Since the vote to leave the EU, four in 10 Britons think that other people are more likely to take part in violent protest, according to an annual Trust Barometer produced by communications firm Edelman.

Lucky escape as bus hits building

A pedestrian has been injured by a falling veranda after a bus crashed into a building north of Auckland. Emergency services were called to the suburb of Warkworth after the crash on the corner of Queen Street and Baxter Street. Police said the bus was not carrying passengers at the time. But a spokesperson said a pedestrian was left with moderate injuries after a veranda collapsed in the collision.

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NORTH AMERICA

Park ranger Rhonda Schier welcomes a family to the Gateway Arch in St Louis. - AP

Uncertainty despite end of shutdownFederal employees are turning on office lights and reopening national parks and museums for the first time in weeks, but others employed by government contractors face more uncertainty over when they’ll resume work or whether they’ll ever be paid for time lost to the stalemate over President Donald Trump’s border wall.

for the hundreds of thousands of people who work for private companies that support government, the future will be decided in part by how quickly federal agencies get running after the record 35-day shutdown, the fine print of contracts and the kindness of strangers.

Michelle oler of St Louis resorted to online fundraising to pay bills while sidelined from her contracting job processing rural development claims for the Agriculture Department, and she’s still unsure when she’ll resume work or receive money to compensate for missed paychecks.

“The estimate of what I’ve lost financially due to the shutdown is upwards of $3500. The anxiety, sleeplessness and depression make it feel like much more,” oler said. Her GofundMe page had brought in only $50.

Kevin Doyle, a father of three, estimated he was out about $5000 from his contracting job as an encryption specialist at Laughlin Air force Base on the Texas-Mexico border. He said he didn’t sleep and lost weight during the shutdown as both the stress and the bills piled up.

Doyle said he would return to work but was set to start a new job later in the week with another company that he hoped would be more stable if talks failed over Trump’s demand for money for a wall and another shutdown begins next month.

“We were scraping pennies and nickels together one day to get the baby a Happy Meal,” the 40-year-old said. “It’s just that bad.” ■

President Donald Trump. - PA

NORTH AMERICA

Trump admits wall deal is unlikelyPresident Donald Trump says the odds congressional negotiators will craft a deal to end his border-wall standoff with Congress are “less than 50-50”.

As hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers prepared to return to work, Trump told The Wall Street Journal he didn’t think the negotiators would strike a deal he’d accept. He pledged to build a wall anyway using his executive powers to declare a national emergency if necessary.

“I personally think it’s less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board,” Trump said.

The president was referring to a bipartisan committee of House and Senate lawmakers that will consider border spending as part of the legislative process.

The president’s standoff with Democrats on Capitol Hill is far from over and the clock is ticking. The spending bill Trump signed to temporarily end the partial government shutdown funds the shuttered agencies only until february 15.

It was unclear if the Democrats would budge. Is Trump prepared to shut down the government again in

three weeks?“Yeah, I think he actually is,” acting White House chief of staff

Mick Mulvaney said. “He doesn’t want to shut the government down, let’s make that very clear. He doesn’t want to declare a national emergency.”

But Mulvaney added that at “the end of the day, the president’s commitment is to defend the nation and he will do it with or without Congress”.

He also said Trump was “willing to do whatever it takes to secure the border”.

The linchpin in the standoff is Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion for his prized wall at the US-Mexico border, a project Democrats consider an ineffective, wasteful monument to a Trump campaign promise.

Asked if he’d willing to accept less than $5.7 billion to build a barrier on the southern border, Trump replied: “I doubt it.”

“I have to do it right,” he added. ■

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UK

Prime Minister Theresa May. - PA

Commons set for Brexit showdownIn what is shaping-up to be Brexit’s “Super Tuesday” showdown in the Commons, various factions of MPs are competing to stamp their mark on the EU withdrawal agenda.

With parliamentary tradition upended by the battle for control of Brexit, what would normally have been just a bland neutral motion by the government on Prime Minister Theresa May’s policy stance now threatens to take on a life of its own.

Both sides in the debate are hoping for a lightning-strike moment to illuminate the way out of the Brexit impasse.

As a result of a previous rebellion, MPs are able to table amendments to the motion, with the handful selected by Speaker John Bercow set to get voted on and potentially alter the course of the scheduled EU exit.

Bercow is expected to choose up to half a dozen of the myriad amendments put down using a selection process which is believed to include taking into account the backing each has amassed and the likelihood of it passing.

The fact Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd and Justice Secretary David Gauke have both backed the idea of MPs being given a free vote on some aspects of Brexit adds to the air of unpredictability as the Commons clash approaches.

Dominic Grieve, the Tory former attorney general and one of the sharpest pro-European thorns in May’s side, is the rebel who paved the way for the parliamentary showdown and he has tabled one of the most far-reaching amendments.

Any successful amendment will not be binding on the government, but May will find it hard to ignore the declared will of a majority in Parliament. ■

- AP

UK

Pressure mounts over N Ireland backstopPrime Minister Theresa May is under renewed pressure from Brexiteers to secure fresh concessions on the Northern Irish backstop, as Dublin warned there was no room for manoeuvre on the issue.

With May facing another Commons showdown over her EU withdrawal agenda, Downing Street is battling to keep control of the Brexit timetable.

In a pointed intervention, arch-Brexiteer Boris Johnson insisted he had it from “senior sources” the PM was planning to go to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop and win a “freedom clause”.

However, Ireland’s deputy prime minister Simon Coveney insisted there would be no changes to the Withdrawal Agreement which states the UK will obey EU customs rules if no wider deal has been struck after a transition period.

Coveney said the backstop was crucial in preventing a hard border.

“Peace and the Good friday Agreement are more important than Brexit,” he said.

“Even in a no-deal Brexit situation, every party and every MP in the UK will have a responsibility to ensure there is no return to a hard border and Northern Ireland is protected.

“That won’t be easy and those who misrepresent the backstop don’t have an alternative to it.”

Coveney’s comments were seen as a swipe at Tory Brexiteers hoping to use Commons amendments to try to force a change in direction on the backstop.

There is plenty of attention on an amendment by Tory grandee Sir Graham Brady which calls for the removal of the backstop and “alternative arrangements” to be put in its place.

Brexiteers say if the non-binding amendment is passed it will give May more leeway to win concessions from the EU.

Sir Graham, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, said: “My amendment is an attempt to bring the kind of compromise forward that can actually attract the support of a majority of the House of Commons. ■

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AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND

- 123Rf

Heatwave breaks 157-year recordHawke’s Bay and parts of the Upper South Island have reached 37C as temperatures continue to climb.

Meanwhile in the Wider Nelson area, Richmond’s minimum temperature of 24.3C has set a new record.

Records began in the area 157 years ago.A day after the temperature in Blenheim neared 35C.

The town is expected to top that today, with Gisborne close behind on 34C.

MetService said the hottest temperatures over the week would likely be felt in the eastern parts of the country, with Tīmaru and Blenheim to Napier, and Hastings expected to simmer in heat up to six degrees higher than average.

Kerikeri, Paihia, Tauranga, Napier, Hastings, Masterton, Nelson, Christchurch, Ashburton, Wanaka and Alexandra were all expected to top 30C, with other centres largely in the high 20s.

New Zealanders have been urged to take precautions including drinking extra water and keeping cool in the shade.

Fire and Emergency said the fire danger was particularly bad in Northland, Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury where there are total fire bans in place.

The heatwave in Australia has caused Adelaide to reach 46.6C, beating temperature records for all Australian cities, and has led to fires, power blackouts and wildlife deaths including wild horses, bats and fish. ■

Venezuela’s self-declared interim leader Juan Guaido greets supporters in Caracas. - AP


Canberra backs Venezuela’s GuaidoAustralia has joined the United States and others in recognising Juan Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela, as the country grapples with deadly protests and political unrest.

But an Australian expert on the Latin American nation said the Venezuelan armed forces – not foreign powers – will determine the fate of embattled president Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela has been gripped by weeks of mass protests against Maduro, who has overseen years of economic freefall in the natural resources-rich South American nation.

Crushing currency controls and fixed food prices, compounded by a collapse in the price of oil, have led to widespread food and medical shortages that have forced millions of people to starve or flee.

Maduro has also fuelled anger by side-stepping the country’s National Assembly and pushing forward an election held last year so his opponents could not organise themselves in time to participate.

foreign ministers from the G20 forum declared the election to be illegitimate and confirmation of the breakdown of democratic institutions in Venezuela.

His second term in office began this month, prompting the latest wave of civil unrest.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne now says Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader and president of the National Assembly, ought to lead the Latin American nation until fresh elections are held.

“Australia calls for a transition to democracy in Venezuela as soon as possible,” Payne said.

“We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation, including a return to democracy, respect for the rule of law and upholding of human rights of the Venezuelan people.”

Australia’s announcement follows similar decisions in recent days by Britain, france, Germany and Spain. ■

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REST Of THE WORLD

EU foreign policy chief federica Mogherini. - AP

EU warned not to evade sanctionsThe Trump administration is closely eyeing efforts in Europe to set up an alternative money payment channel to ease doing business with Iran and avoid running afoul of sanctions the US has levied on the Islamic republic.

The White House is putting the Europeans on notice, saying that if they try to do an end-run around US sanctions on Iran, they will be subject to stiff fines and penalties. Unfazed, the European Union is marching forward with the plan, which, if implemented, could further strain trans-Atlantic relations.

A spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief federica Mogherini said preparations for the alternative system were “at an advanced stage.”

“I hope that we can announce the launch very soon,” Maja Kocijancic said.

Getting out ahead of a possible announcement, a senior administration official said that the US will fully enforce its sanctions and hold individuals and entities accountable for undermining them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue.

“The choice is whether to do business with Iran or the United States,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said. “I hope our European allies choose wisely.”

The US joined China, france, Germany, Russia and Britain in signing a pact with Iran in 2015 that offered to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran’s pledge to rein in its nuclear weapons program.

President Donald Trump called it a “horrible, one-sided deal.” He pulled out of the pact and restored punishing US sanctions on Iran. Tehran, which denies wanting nuclear weapons, continues to abide by the agreement, and the remaining five nations in the pact are trying to keep it intact.

Restoring the sanctions regime is part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” on the Iranians to force them to radically alter their policies on developing ballistic missiles, supporting regional militant groups and violating human rights. ■

Devestation caused in the Brazilian state of Minas after a dam broke. - PA

REST Of THE WORLD

Dam collapse death toll rises to at least 58The Civil Defense office in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has raised the number of confirmed deaths in a dam collapse to 58.

More than 300 people were still missing.Brazilian officials resumed the search for the missing

after briefly suspending it amid fears a second dam was at risk of breach.

Rescue workers say areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas previously unreachable. The death toll was expected to rise.

Authorities evacuated several neighbourhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho that were within range of the B6 dam owned by the Brazilian mining company Vale. An estimated 24,000 people were told to get to higher ground, but by the afternoon, civil engineers said the second dam was no longer at risk.

Areas of water-soaked mud appeared to be drying out, which could help firefighters get to areas that were previously unreachable.

Even before the half-day suspension of rescue efforts, hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from the dam collapse in the area was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the hundreds of people missing had died.

There was also mounting anger at Vale and questions about an apparent lack of an alarm system.

“I’m angry. There is no way I can stay calm,” said Sonia fatima da Silva, as she tried to get information about her son, who had worked at Vale for 20 years. “My hope is that they be honest. I want news, even if it’s bad.”

Da Silva was one of scores of relatives in Brumadinho who desperately awaited word on their loved ones. Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais state, said by now most recovery efforts would entail pulling out victims. ■

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UK

- PA

UK is ‘angrier’ since Brexit referendumMore than two-thirds (69 per cent) of Britons say the country has got angrier since the Brexit referendum and one in six have fallen out with family and friends over Europe, according to new research.

Since the vote to leave the EU, four in 10 Britons think that other people are more likely to take part in violent protest, according to an annual Trust Barometer produced by communications firm Edelman.

Six in 10 of those questioned said that the Government does not listen to people like them, and the figure was similar among both Leave and Remain voters.

Edelman’s UK and Ireland chief executive Ed Williams said the findings revealed a “Disunited Kingdom” where much of society feels ignored and abandoned by its political class, with Brexit at the heart of the division.

The survey of around 2000 individuals found a decline in trust in the leaders of both major parties. only 35 per cent said they trusted Prime Minister Theresa May to do the right thing – down from 39 per cent last year – and 26 per cent said the same of Jeremy Corbyn (down from 36 per cent).

Among Conservative supporters trust in May fell 10 points to 68 per cent and among Labour backers trust in Corbyn dropped 12 points to 56 per cent.

Some 61 per cent of those questioned said they did not feel their views were represented in British politics, and the feeling was stronger among those who leant towards Labour (66 per cent) than those with Conservative sympathies (43 per cent).

Seven out of 10 said that life is “unfair”, and half said the socio-political system was “broken”.

And two-thirds (65 per cent) said that the UK was on the wrong track – with Remainers far more likely (82 per cent) than Leavers (43 per cent) to feel that way.

Some 60 per cent of Conservatives said the UK was heading in the right direction, against just 20 per cent of Labour-leaning respondents. ■

Exiting the EU Committee chairman Hilary Benn. - PA

UK

‘Responsible’ to rule out no-deal BrexitThe government must rule out a no-deal Brexit, an influential Westminster committee has concluded.

Exiting the EU Committee chairman Hilary Benn said pursuing a so-called managed no-deal as an alternative to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal would be irresponsible.

following the record defeat for May’s Plan A, the committee – which includes ERG chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg – has considered alternatives, including extending Article 50 to allow for renegotiation of the Political Declaration.

“Despite the resounding defeat of the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration, the EU Withdrawal Act specifies that the UK’s ‘exit day’ will be March 29 at 11pm – deal or no deal,” Benn said.

“Having taken a wide range of evidence on the implications of a no-deal Brexit, the committee is clear this cannot be allowed to happen.

The Leeds Central Labour MP continued: “The suggestion that the UK might opt for a no-deal outcome but assume that the EU will continue to act in a co-operative manner to avoid disruption cannot seriously constitute the policy of any responsible government.

“MPs must be able to vote on extending Article 50 if Parliament cannot reach agreement on a way forward before March 29.”

former international development secretary Benn said the UK was unprepared for the disruption of a no-deal Brexit.

The report outlined how “a lack of transparency and a lack of time” had hampered Whitehall’s preparations for a no-deal departure and risked “points of failure for which we will not have prepared”.

The committee warned of “very significant delays” – particularly for fresh food and drink, medicines and components including those for car manufacturers – and highlighted how reliant the UK would be on EU neighbours. ■

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Lucky escape after bus hits buildingA pedestrian has been injured by a falling veranda after a bus crashed into a building north of Auckland.

Emergency services were called to the suburb of Warkworth after the crash on the corner of Queen Street and Baxter Street.

Police said the bus was not carrying passengers at the time.But a spokesperson said a pedestrian was left with moderate

injuries after a veranda collapsed in the collision.fire and Emergency sent a heavy rescue unit, but it was

not required. ■


- RNZ

Reports of another mass fish kill in NSWA drop in temperatures and some rain is likely behind another mass fish kill reported along the Darling River in far western NSW, the state government says.

Local Graeme McCrabb posted photos on social media of floating dead fish in the weir pool at Menindee.

“It’s starting again,” he wrote.The NSW Department of Primary Industries has sent officers

to investigate the event, which it believes has affected “large numbers of bony bream and smaller numbers of other species”.

“It is likely linked to some rain and cooler temperatures in the Menindee area following an extended period of very hot weather,” a spokeswoman said.

Menindee resident Rob Gregory said there were at least 200-to-300 dead bony bream, as well as some native species.

“There are lots of yabbies crawling up the bank … they must be suffocating,” he said.

“It’s a shame.”Gregory said the latest fish to die would have likely been

survivors from previous events.Up to a million fish died along the Darling River at Menindee

earlier in January, while thousands were also found dead almost 900km away along the Macintyre River.

Central Darling Shire general manager Greg Hill, who is in charge of the clean-up, fears the latest mass kill could be as large.

“It’s fairly big,” Hill said.The council has hired a clean-up operator which will also

record information about the event.Premier Gladys Berejiklian suggested the mass kill couldn’t

have been avoided, saying “we cannot control the weather”.“Under the current circumstances, if we could have avoided

it we will,” she said.“I was advised the sudden drop in temperature makes

it conducive, unfortunately, for the fish to be deprived of oxygen.” ■

Floating dead fish in the weir pool at the NSW town of Menindee. - Supplied


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