NORTH AMERICA EUROPE AUSTRALIA + NEW …...1 EBUA 1 MT EBUA 11 AEST, 21 NORTH AMERICA EUROPE...

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February 10 (GMT) – February 11 (aeST), 2019

AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALANDEUROPENORTH AMERICA

US, S Korea sign new troop deal

South Korea and the United States struck a new deal on how much Seoul should pay for the US military presence on its soil, official said, after previous rounds of failed negotiations caused worries about their decades-long alliance. Last year, South Korea provided about $830 million, roughly 40 per cent of the cost of the deployment of 28,500 US soldiers whose presence is meant to deter aggression from North Korea.

Warren makes 2020 bid official

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren made her bid for the presidency official in the working-class city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, grounding her 2020 campaign in a populist call to fight economic inequality and build “an America that works for everyone”. Warren delivered a sharp call for change at her presidential kickoff, decrying a “middle-class squeeze” that has left Americans crunched.

Coalition won’t rush bank reforms

The Morrison government isn’t budging on its rejection of Labor’s call for federal parliament to sit for an extra two weeks in March to deal with the recommendations of the banking royal commission. Defence Minister Christopher Pyne says the government’s response to commissioner Kenneth Hayne’s 76 recommendations will require at least 40 pieces of legislation and the coalition wants to get them right.

Labour plans Brexit showdown

Labour will seek to force Theresa May into a second Commons showdown on her Brexit deal by the end of the month. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said Labour will use a Commons amendment to require the Prime Minister to hold another “meaningful vote” on her deal by February 26. The move is in response to fears that May is engaged in a “cynical” attempt to run down the clock before the Brexit date.

Rudd slams ‘reckless’ schemes

Bosses who are reckless with their employees’ pensions could be jailed for up to seven years, Amber Rudd has warned. The Pensions Secretary said “wilful or reckless behaviour” relating to a pension scheme will become a criminal offence and could lead to an unlimited fine. She warned those judged to be guilty of such a crime: “We’re coming for you.”

Fire evacuees stranded for days

Tasman fire evacuees will have to stay out of their homes for several more days, despite better conditions in the fire zone. It had been feared winds of 45-kilometres an hour would test control lines and threaten property, but so far they have reached only 20km/h. During a Civil Defence briefing, Nelson Tasman Civil Defence group controller, Roger Ball, said on the whole the day had gone pretty well.

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AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALANDREST OF THE WORLDNORTH AMERICA

Detention of Canadians ‘unlawful’

The US ambassador to Canada says her country is deeply concerned about China’s “unlawful” detention of two Canadians. Ambassador Kelly Craft said the arrests of ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor are unacceptable and urged China to end the arbitrary detentions. It is her first public remarks on it. China detained the two in apparent retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

Snowstorm strikes, more to come

A winter storm that blanketed Washington state with snow and forced the cancellation of more than 200 flights moved south into oregon as meteorologists warned that yet more was on the way. In Seattle, where heavy snowfall is a rarity, residents cleared out grocery store shelves and left work early as the storm arrived. Many got out ski gear and sleds and took to neighborhood hills or even streets that were too steep.

Flood victims need ‘compassion’

Insurance companies are being urged not to skip out on Townsville residents left to clean up the damage left behind by floodwaters that swamped much of the far north city. Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad has invited insurers and the Insurance Council of Australia to meet her in the far north city after reports that claimants who had lost their insurance documents were not being paid out.

Protests erupt after rebel deaths

Five rebels were killed in fighting with government forces in disputed Kashmir, the Indian army said, triggering anti-India clashes in which at least 10 civilians were injured. The fighting began after Indian government forces cordoned off a village in the Himalayan region’s southern Kulgam area following a tip that militants were hiding there, said Col. Rajesh Kalia, a spokesman for the Indian military in Kashmir.

Building collapse death toll rises

Turkey’s interior minister says the death toll from a collapsed apartment building in Istanbul has risen to 21. Minister Suleyman Soylu said those who made “mistakes” would be held accountable. The eight-story building in the city’s Kartal district collapsed earlier in the week. Rescue workers remain at the site and it is unclear how many more people are missing.

Flight turned back from China

An Air New Zealand flight to Shanghai has turned back several hours into its journey after discovering it did not have permission to land in China. Flight NZ289 carrying about 270 passengers left Auckland shortly before midnight on Saturday only to return about 8am AeDT on Sunday. “A technicality meant the particular aircraft operating this service did not have Chinese regulatory authority to land in China,” the airline said.

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NORTH AMERICA

elizabeth Warren officially announces her candidacy for President of the United States at a

gathering in Lawrence, Massachusetts. - PA

Warren makes 2020 presidential bid officialDemocratic Senator Elizabeth Warren made her bid for the presidency official in the working-class city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, grounding her 2020 campaign in a populist call to fight economic inequality and build “an America that works for everyone”.

Warren delivered a sharp call for change at her presidential kickoff, decrying a “middle-class squeeze” that has left Americans crunched with “too little accountability for the rich, too little opportunity for everyone else.” She and her backers hope that message can distinguish her in a crowded Democratic field and help her move past the controversy surrounding her past claims to Native American heritage.

Weaving specific policy prescriptions into her remarks, from Medicare for All to the elimination of Washington “lobbying as we know it,” Warren avoided taking direct jabs at President Donald Trump. She aimed for a broader institutional shift instead, urging supporters to choose “a government that makes different choices, choices that reflect our values.”

Warren announced her campaign in her home state of Massachusetts at a mill site where largely immigrant factory workers went on strike about 100 years ago, a fitting forum for the longtime consumer advocate to advance her platform.

Trump “is not the cause of what’s broken,” Warren told an elated crowd in Lawrence, in her home state of Massachusetts, without using the president’s name.

“He’s just the latest – and most extreme – symptom of what’s gone wrong in America.”

“Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President,” Trump tweeted.

“Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!”

Warren was the first high-profile Democrat to signal interest in running for the White House, forming an exploratory committee on New Year’s eve. ■

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, right, and acting Deputy Assistant

Secretary in the US Department of State Timothy Betts. - AP

NORTH AMERICA

US, South Korea sign new troop dealSouth Korea and the United States struck a new deal on how much Seoul should pay for the US military presence on its soil, official said, after previous rounds of failed negotiations caused worries about their decades-long alliance.

Last year, South Korea provided about $830 million, roughly 40 per cent of the cost of the deployment of 28,500 US soldiers whose presence is meant to deter aggression from North Korea. President Donald Trump has said South Korea should pay more.

The allies had failed to reach a new cost-sharing plan during some 10 rounds of talks. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said the countries signed a new deal. A five-year 2014 deal that covered South Korea’s payment last year had expired at the end of 2018.

Some conservatives in South Korea voiced concerns over a weakening alliance with the United States amid a stalemate in negotiations with North Korea to deprive it of its nuclear weapons. They said Trump might use the failed military cost-sharing negotiations as an excuse to pull back some of US troops in South Korea, as a bargaining chip in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump said that he has no plans to withdraw troops from South Korea.

Earlier, Trump announced that he will sit down with Kim for a second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam in late February. Their first summit in Singapore last June resulted in Kim’s vague commitment to “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” a term that his propaganda machine previously used when it argued it would only denuclearize after the US withdraws its troops from South Korea.

The South Korean ministry hasn’t immediately revealed the exact amount of money Seoul would pay this year under the new deal. ■

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EUROPE

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Amber Rudd. - PA

Rudd slams ‘reckless’ pension schemesBosses who are reckless with their employees’ pensions could be jailed for up to seven years, Amber Rudd has warned.

The Pensions Secretary said “wilful or reckless behaviour” relating to a pension scheme will become a criminal offence and could lead to an unlimited fine.

She warned those judged to be guilty of such a crime: “We’re coming for you.”

Rudd said: “To curb these freelancers playing fast and loose with your cash, I am going to make ‘wilful or reckless behaviour’ relating to a pension scheme a criminal offence, with jail terms of up to seven years for the worst offenders. We’ll also give the courts powers to levy unlimited – yes unlimited – fines.

“So if you run your company pension into the ground, saddling it with massive, unsustainable debts, we’re coming for you.

“If you gamble your employees’ futures on risky investments that put a pension scheme at risk, we’re coming for you.

“And if you chronically mismanage a pension scheme and it goes under, we’re coming for you.”

The government launched a consultation last summer as part of moves to beef up the powers of The Pensions Regulator (TPR), enabling it to step in more quickly and more often when companies make changes which could damage the pension scheme. ■

Prime Minister Theresa May. - AP

EUROPE

Labour plans new Brexit showdownLabour will seek to force Theresa May into a second Commons showdown on her Brexit deal by the end of the month.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said Labour will use a Commons amendment to require the Prime Minister to hold another “meaningful vote” on her deal by February 26.

The move is in response to fears that May is engaged in a “cynical” attempt to run down the clock before the March 29 Brexit date in order to leave MPs with a stark choice of accepting her deal or crashing out of the European Union without any agreement.

If no deal on the changes to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement has been reached with Brussels by Wednesday, as seems overwhelmingly likely, May will address MPs on progress made, say more time is needed for negotiations, and table a “neutral motion” for debate the following day.

Starmer’s new deadline is expected to be one of a range of amendments tabled for votes on Valentine’s Day.

The PM is promising another “meaningful vote” in the coming weeks but Labour will seek to take the decision out of her hands.

“We have got to put a hard stop into this running down the clock,” Starmer said. “And that’s what we want to do this week.”

He believes the Prime Minister is “pretending to make progress” but actually intends to return to Parliament after the March 21-22 European Council summit the week before Brexit and offer MPs a “binary choice” – her deal or no deal.

“We can’t allow that to happen,” Starmer said. “There needs to be a day when Parliament says that’s it, enough is enough.”

Starmer described May’s approach as “reckless” and “blinkered” and blamed her “tunnel vision” for the devastating defeat suffered last month when MPs threw out her Brexit deal by a record 230 votes.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has written to the Prime Minister setting out his demands for a Brexit deal he could support, accused May of an “utterly cynical” approach. ■

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AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND

- RNZ

Fire evacuees stranded for daysTasman fire evacuees will have to stay out of their homes for several more days, despite better conditions in the fire zone.

It had been feared winds of 45-kilometres an hour would test control lines and threaten property, but so far they have reached only 20km/h.

During a Civil Defence briefing, Nelson Tasman Civil Defence group controller, Roger Ball, said on the whole the day had gone pretty well.

“However I emphasize that the overall assessment is that the risk remains high and residents of all evacuated areas should expect to be out of their homes for some days to come,” Ball said.

“We will of course continue to assess the situation constantly and we will update residents and the community with information as it comes to hand.”

Ball said the focus has been to allow residents access to their properties in the four valleys – Teapot, Sunrise, Pigeon Valley and eves.

About 3000 people have already been evacuated from Wakefield and the eves, Teapot, Redwood and Pigeon valleys but emergency services have put 400 residents of Wai-iti on notice for possible further evacuations.

There is a ban on the use of machinery that might strike a spark. Prohibited activities include harrowing, gas cutting, welding and all use of chainsaws and scrub cutters.

Residents with animals on the south side of the cordoned area are advised to join a special livestock convoy to take them to the Richmond showgrounds. ■

Defense Minister Christopher Pyne. - AP


Coalition won’t rush bank reformsThe Morrison government isn’t budging on its rejection of Labor’s call for federal parliament to sit for an extra two weeks in March to deal with the recommendations of the banking royal commission.

Defence Minister Christopher Pyne says the government’s response to commissioner Kenneth Hayne’s 76 recommendations will require at least 40 pieces of legislation and the coalition wants to get them right.

“We won’t be rushing legislation into the parliament for a feverish, two-week sitting just to please Bill Shorten and the Labor Party,” he said.

Taking time to prepare the laws properly will prevent the parliament from having to fix them later, he added.

But he acknowledged that meant there may not be a response to the inquiry until at least August, after the election likely to be held in May.

“It will be after the election, yes,” he said.Labor leader Bill Shorten has called for two extra parliament

sitting weeks in March to ensure changes are made in response to the banking royal commission before voters go to the polls.

The opposition wants to expedite the commission’s recommendation to end grandfathered commissions for financial advice and change laws to ban hawking of superannuation and insurance in line with other recommendations.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the push is a “political stunt” and that Labor should be focusing on its own response to the royal commission.

“We had the report for just a few days before we provided a formal, comprehensive response,” he said.

“The Labor party has had the report now for double the amount of time that we have and have failed to provide a formal response.”

The coalition has said it will “take action” on all 76 recommendations. ■

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NORTH AMERICA

A snow-covered Capitol Hill neighborhood seen from First Hill in Seattle. - AP

Snowstorm strikes, with more to comeA winter storm that blanketed Washington state with snow and forced the cancellation of more than 200 flights moved south into Oregon as meteorologists warned that yet more was on the way.

In Seattle, where heavy snowfall is a rarity, residents cleared out grocery store shelves and left work early as the storm arrived. Many got out ski gear and sleds and took to neighborhood hills or even streets that were too steep for cars to navigate.

In Tacoma, hundreds of people turned out for a snowball fight in a park after someone who lives nearby suggested it. They took cover behind picnic tables and used sleds as shields.

“This is a perfect morning to bundle up and play in the snow, but stay off the roads if possible,” governor Jay Inslee wrote on Twitter.

More than a foot of snow (30cm) was recorded in some areas, including on the olympic Peninsula, in the nation’s latest bout of winter weather. In central Washington, blowing snow and drifts 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 meters) deep forced the closure of US 2 and Interstate 90. The grant County Sheriff’s office warned that snow drifts were blocking many roads.

“Snow conditions are worsening minute to minute, so don’t expect travel conditions to improve,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

The National Weather Service said additional snow could fall Saturday, and another storm was expected early next week.

About 180 people spent the night at an emergency shelter set up at Seattle Center, with officials going out again on Saturday to get other homeless residents to safety. Inslee declared a state of emergency over the storm, and sliding cars caused crashes on highways, though traffic was light. The state transportation department said crews had to clear several trees that had fallen across roads in the Tacoma area.

In Portland, a tanker truck slid into a sport-utility vehicle on an interchange between Interstates 5 and 84 on Saturday, blocking the ramp for hours. ■

United States Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft. - PA

NORTH AMERICA

Detention of two Canadians ‘unlawful’The US ambassador to Canada says her country is deeply concerned about China’s “unlawful” detention of two Canadians.

Ambassador Kelly Craft said the arrests of ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor are unacceptable and urged China to end the arbitrary detentions. It is her first public remarks on it.

China detained the two in apparent retaliation for the arrest in Canada of Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. The US wants Meng extradited to face charges that she misled banks about the company’s business dealings in Iran.

Craft said the Department of Justice’s criminal case against Meng is based solely on the evidence and the law. She said the United States appreciates Canada’s steadfast commitment to the rule of law. ■

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REST OF THE WORLD

A rescue worker and sniffer dog search for survivors in the rubble of an eight-story

building in Istanbul, Turkey. - AP

Building collapse death toll risesTurkey’s interior minister says the death toll from a collapsed apartment building in Istanbul has risen to 21.

Minister Suleyman Soylu said those who made “mistakes” would be held accountable. The eight-story building in the city’s Kartal district collapsed earlier in the week.

Rescue workers remain at the site and it is unclear how many more people are missing. The collapsed building had 14 apartments, 43 registered residents and three businesses.

Thirteen people pulled from the rubble have been hospitalized and seven remain in intensive care.

Chief Doctor Recep Demirhan says that two are in very serious condition, according to Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency.

officials have said the top two floors of the building were built illegally using low quality construction materials. ■

Indian paramilitary soldiers patrol a closed market in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir.

- AP

REST OF THE WORLD

Violent protests erupt after rebel deathsFive rebels were killed in fighting with government forces in disputed Kashmir, the Indian army said, triggering anti-India clashes in which at least 10 civilians were injured.

The fighting began after Indian government forces cordoned off a village in the Himalayan region’s southern Kulgam area following a tip that militants were hiding there, said Col. Rajesh Kalia, a spokesman for the Indian military in Kashmir. The searches led to an exchange of gunfire in which five militants were killed, he said.

The fighting sparked protests and clashes as hundreds of residents tried to march to the site of the battle in solidarity with militants. The protesters were chanting pro-rebel slogans and demanding end of an Indian rule over the region.

government forces fired shotgun pellets and tear gas at the protesters, who threw stones and snowballs at them. At least 10 civilians were injured and were taken to hospitals, medics and local residents said.

India and Pakistan each claim the divided territory of Kashmir in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989 and civilian street protests are common.

Most Kashmiris support the rebel position that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian crackdown. ■

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Air NZ flight turned back from ChinaAn Air New Zealand flight to Shanghai has turned back several hours into its journey after discovering it did not have permission to land in China.

Flight NZ289 carrying about 270 passengers left Auckland shortly before midnight on Saturday only to return about 8am AeDT on Sunday. It turned around several hours into the flight.

“A technicality meant the particular aircraft operating this service did not have Chinese regulatory authority to land in China,” the airline said.

China’s foreign ministry did not make any immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. Calls to the civil aviation administration were not answered.

Air New Zealand apologised to passengers and said a special service would fly them to Shanghai in the evening.

“We know customers will be deeply disappointed and frustrated by this situation and we are very sorry for the disruption to their travel plans,” Air New Zealand said.

Disgruntled passengers voiced their disapproval on social media. one posted a picture on Twitter of the onboard flight map showing the aircraft turning around over Papua New guinea.

“I’ve just experienced a new level of China Bad: midway through our flight from Auckland to Shanghai, the pilot informs us that Chinese authorities had not given this plane permission to land, so we needed to turn around. A permitting issue, supposedly,” the passenger commented.

The same flight, NZ289, was turned back on a flight to China on August 24 last year, although an airline spokeswoman said that was due to an engineering issue, not a permitting one. ■


- AAP

Flood victims need ‘compassion’Insurance companies are being urged not to skip out on Townsville residents left to clean up the damage left behind by floodwaters that swamped much of the far north city.

Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad has invited insurers and the Insurance Council of Australia to meet her in the far north city after reports that claimants who had lost their insurance documents were not being paid out.

“Some of the assessments have been very brash and on the spot, rather than allowing residents and households to compile the information and have a conversation with the insurance companies and claim assessors,” Trad said.

“(But households) are doing it tough right now.“They want compassion, and they want a responsive

organisation that understands that they are going through a traumatic event.”

The mopping up is well under way after more than a year’s rainfall was dumped on large swathes of north and western Queensland within days.

More than 12,800 insurance claims amounting to more than $160 million have been lodged by residents and businesses in the Townsville region.

Trad said more than 500 government buildings, including schools and social housing, had been affected.

Business owners have told Liberal National Party leader Deb Frecklington they won’t get help from their insurers, she says.

“These hard working family businesses have done the right thing, they’ve paid their premiums and now they have been devastated by this disaster,” Frecklington said.

“It is clear they have been affected by storm water.” However, the financial impact on farmers in the state’s

interior may not be known for weeks as rural communities from Longreach to Charters Towers, and north to Kowanyama on Cape York Peninsula, remain surrounded by floodwaters. ■

Chris Mitchell removes flood-damaged items out of his a house in the suburb of Rosslea

in Townsville. - AAP


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