NORTH AMERICA EUROPE AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND · 2018-12-14 · 1 DECEMBEr 14 (GMT) – DECEMBEr 15...

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December 14 (GmT) – December 15 (AeST), 2018

AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALANDEUROPENORTH AMERICA

Girl dies after being detained

A seven-year-old girl who crossed the US-Mexico border with her father last week died after being taken into the custody of the US Border Patrol, federal immigration authorities have confirmed. The Washington Post reported the girl died of dehydration and shock more than eight hours after she was arrested by agents near Lordsburg, New Mexico.

Woman attacked by bear

Game wardens say a bear attacked a woman outside her home in Pennsylvania and dragged her more than 80 yards (73 meters). The attack happened in Muncy Creek Township, which is located about 16 miles (25 kilometers) east of Williamsport. The Pennsylvania Game Commission said the woman was outside with her dog when the bear attacked.

Aussie, EU trade pact stuck

Australia and the European Union are going back and forth over who will be allowed to use generic names for things like cheese, wine and cured meats. The second round of negotiations on a major free trade deal recently concluded, with one of the sticking points the EU’s insistence on geographic indicators. They include products labelled as feta or prosciutto in Australia, among others.

Paris braces for more violence

Anticipating a fifth straight weekend of violent protests, Paris’ police chief says armoured vehicles and thousands of officers will be deployed again in the French capital this weekend. Michel Delpuech said security services intend to deploy the same numbers and strength as last weekend, with about 8000 officers and 14 armoured vehicles again in Paris.

EU heaps pressure on May

Theresa May is under mounting political pressure after EU leaders rejected her attempts to win fresh concessions to the agreed Brexit deal and openly criticised her negotiating strategy. The Prime Minister went to Brussels seeking a way to get the Withdrawal Agreement through a heavily divided Commons, insisting she could do it but had to be able to convince MPs the UK would not find itself tied to the EU indefinitely.

Warning over bomb threat email

New Zealand’s cybersecurity watchdog is urging anyone who receives an email bomb threat to contact the police immediately. Cert NZ said it is aware of a campaign of blackmail emails threatening bombs, both internationally and in New Zealand. The suspicious emails claim an explosive device has been planted in the recipient’s office and will be set off unless a ransom is paid in the currency bitcoin.

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AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALANDUkREST OF THE WORLD

Tourism rocket reaches space

Virgin Galactic’s tourism spaceship climbed more than 50 miles high above California’s Mojave Desert, reaching for the first time what the company considers the boundary of space. The rocket ship hit an altitude of 51 miles (82 kilometers) before beginning its gliding descent, said mission official Enrico Palermo. It landed on a runway minutes later. “We made it to space!” Palermo exclaimed.

Japan begins work at base

Japan’s central government started main reclamation work at a disputed US military base relocation site on the southern island of Okinawa despite fierce local opposition. Construction workers started dumping a truckload of sediment into the sea at Henoko on okinawa’s east coast to build a runway for a Marine Corps base that will be relocated from densely populated futenma in the southern part of the island.

Sydney soaked by storms

Sydneysiders are dealing with traffic chaos as residents along the length of the NSW coast are being told to prepare for heavy rainfall, damaging winds and large hailstones. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the state’s east with damaging winds up to 90km/h possible including in Sydney, the Hunter region and the Blue Mountains. Dungong in the Hunter region received 40 millimetres in just 30 munutes.

Article 50 extension needed

European leaders must prepare for the “probability” that Britain will need to stay in the EU beyond March 2019 to allow for a second referendum, Tony Blair is set to urge. The former prime minister will say the UK will require an extension to Article 50 – the two-year period for leaving the EU – either to negotiate further or for a so-called “People’s Vote”.

What next for May, agreement?

Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote in her leadership but her Brexit plans appear to have reached an impasse. The arithmetic suggests her current blueprint will struggle to get a majority in the House of Commons, while EU leaders did not give the Conservative leader the assurances she hoped would help ease the passage of the bill. What are the options now?

Air NZ to trial new flight route

The first ever direct air service will be trialled between invercargill and Auckland next year. Air New Zealand announced the service will operate five days a week departing invercargill at 6am before a return flight from Auckland about 7.30pm. It will be the airline’s longest domestic flight, taking two hours on the A-320 jet aircraft.

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NORTH AMERICA

- Mary Evans Picture library

Woman attacked by bear outside homeGame wardens say a bear attacked a woman outside her home in Pennsylvania and dragged her more than 80 yards (73 meters).

The attack happened in Muncy Creek Township, which is located about 16 miles (25 kilometers) east of Williamsport.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission said the woman was outside with her dog when the bear attacked.

Game Warden Supervisor Mike Steingraber said the woman was able to free herself and call for help.

WNEP-TV reported that the woman has been hospitalized in critical condition.

Her dog was also injured.It is unclear why the bear attacked.Steingraber said it may have been attracted to deer parts

from a recent hunting trip that were left near the home.Game wardens are now searching for the bear, and multiple

bear traps have been set up.The bear will be euthanized. ■

A US Border Patrol agent patrols along the US-Mexico border. - AP

NORTH AMERICA

Girl, seven, dies after being detained by USA seven-year-old girl who crossed the US-Mexico border with her father last week died after being taken into the custody of the US Border Patrol, federal immigration authorities have confirmed.

The Washington Post reported the girl died of dehydration and shock more than eight hours after she was arrested by agents near Lordsburg, New Mexico. The girl was from Guatemala and was travelling with a group of 163 people who approached agents to turn themselves in on December 6.

it is unknown what happened to the girl during the eight hours before she started having seizures and was flown to an El Paso hospital.

in a statement, Customs and Border Protection said the girl had not eaten or consumed water in several days.

Processing 163 immigrants in one night could have posed challenges for the agency, whose detention facilities are meant to be temporary and do not usually fit that many people.

When a Border Patrol agent arrests someone, that person gets processed at a facility but usually spends no more than 72 hours in custody before they are either transferred to immigration and Customs Enforcement or, if they are Mexican, quickly deported home.

The girl’s death raises questions about whether border agents knew she was ill and whether she was fed anything or given anything to drink during the eight-plus hours she was in custody.

immigrants, lawyers and activists have long raised issues with the conditions of Border Patrol holding cells.

In Tucson, an ongoing lawsuit claims holding cells are filthy, extremely cold and lacking basic necessities such as blankets. A judge overseeing the case has ordered the agency’s Tucson sector, which patrols much of the Arizona-Mexico border, to provide blankets and mats to sleep on, and to continually turn over surveillance footage from inside the cells. ■

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EUROPE

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. - AP

EU heaps pressure on May over Brexit talksTheresa May is under mounting political pressure after EU leaders rejected her attempts to win fresh concessions to the agreed Brexit deal and openly criticised her negotiating strategy.

The Prime Minister went to Brussels seeking a way to get the Withdrawal Agreement through a heavily divided Commons, insisting she could do it but had to be able to convince MPs the UK would not find itself tied to the EU indefinitely through the Northern Ireland “backstop”.

She urged EU27 leaders join her to “work together intensively to get this deal over the line in the best interests of all our people”.

But after listening to her appeal, European Council president Donald Tusk said EU leaders had reaffirmed their determination that there could be no renegotiation.

He said they had expressed a “firm determination” to work “speedily” to ensure that there was an agreement on the future relationship in place by the time the transition period ends in December 2020, so the backstop was not needed.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker went further and criticised May’s lack of clarity over what she was seeking from the future relationship.

“Our UK friends need to say what they want, instead of asking us to say what we want,” he said.

“So we would like, within a few weeks, our UK friends to set out their expectations for us because this debate is sometimes nebulous and imprecise and I would like clarifications.”

He added: “We don’t want the UK to think there can be any form of renegotiation, that is crystal clear. We can add clarifications but no real changes.

“There will be no legally binding obligations imposed on the withdrawal treaty.”

The EU hardball approach appears to leave May with limited room for manoeuvre during the countdown to the UK’s departure on March 29. ■

Protestors wearing “yellow vests” (gilets jaunes) clash with polices force on the Champs

Elysees avenue in Paris. - PA

EUROPE

Paris police brace for more violenceAnticipating a fifth straight weekend of violent protests, Paris’ police chief says armoured vehicles and thousands of officers will be deployed again in the French capital this weekend.

Michel Delpuech said security services intend to deploy the same numbers and strength as last weekend, with about 8000 officers and 14 armoured vehicles again in Paris.

Delpuech said the biggest difference will be the deployment of more groups of patrol officers to catch vandals who roamed streets around the Champs Elysees last weekend, causing damage and pillaging.

A sixth “yellow vest” protester was killed this week, hit by a truck at a protest roadblock.

Despite calls from authorities urging protesters to stop the protests, the movement rocking the country has showed no signs of abating. ■

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AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND

- 123rf

Warning over bomb threats sent via email New Zealand’s cybersecurity watchdog is urging anyone who receives an email bomb threat to contact the police immediately.

Cert NZ said it is aware of a campaign of blackmail emails threatening bombs, both internationally and in New Zealand.

The suspicious emails claim an explosive device has been planted in the recipient’s office and will be set off unless a ransom is paid in the currency bitcoin.

CErT said while it is likely to be an opportunistic scam, the police are treating the emails as real threats until confirmed otherwise.

The agency said anyone receiving such an email should call 111 immediately.

it advised recipients not to respond or try to contact the sender and not to pay the ransom or take any other action before speaking to the police.

CErT said the threatening email should be kept as evidence for any police investigation. ■

Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. - AAP


Aussie, EU pact stuck on food namesAustralia and the European Union are going back and forth over who will be allowed to use generic names for things like cheese, wine and cured meats.

The second round of negotiations on a major free trade deal recently concluded, with one of the sticking points the EU’s insistence on geographic indicators.

They include products labelled as feta or prosciutto in Australia, among others.

The EU tabled a report on the negotiations with updates on the various areas under way.

“Discussions were held in a good and constructive atmosphere and showed a shared commitment to negotiate an ambitious and comprehensive agreement,” the EU’s report said.

The EU has submitted a list of geographical indicators it wants protected as part of the deal, and replied to Australia’s questions about them.

Australia and the EU are also negotiating on customs, tariffs, services, investment and a host of other areas.

While Australia has long sought better access to the EU’s huge market, Europe has sped up plans for a free trade deal due to rising protectionism in the United States.

A third round of negotiations is scheduled for March. ■

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REST OF THE WORLD

Residents protest as reclamation work begins off the east coast of Okinawa, Japan. - AP

Japan begins work at disputed baseJapan’s central government started main reclamation work at a disputed US military base relocation site on the southern island of Okinawa despite fierce local opposition.

Construction workers started dumping a truckload of sediment into the sea at Henoko on okinawa’s east coast to build a runway for a Marine Corps base that will be relocated from densely populated Futenma in the southern part of the island. The central government has reversed okinawa’s earlier ban on landfill work at the site.

opponents of the relocation say it would not only be an environmental debacle but also ignore local wishes to remove the base.

“I strongly resent the construction that is being carried out while ignoring the will of the Okinawan people,” Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said. He said he had repeatedly visited Tokyo and asked top officials in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet to postpone the landfill work and engage in dialogue. Tamaki was in Tokyo for talks with Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya.

Dozens of people in rubber boats protested the move. Many okinawans say the presence of so many US troops on the island is already a heavy burden and they want the existing Futenma air station closed and its replacement moved off the island entirely.

Officials in Tokyo said they will stick with the plan despite protests. Washington’s position is that the dispute should be resolved between Tokyo and Okinawa.

About half of the 50,000 US troops are based in Japan under a bilateral security pact and the majority of their key facilities are on Okinawa. Residents have long complained about base-related noise, pollution and crime. ■

The Virgin Spaceship Unity (VSS Unity). - AP

REST OF WORLD

Virgin Galatcitc tourism rocket reaches spaceVirgin Galactic’s tourism spaceship climbed more than 50 miles high above California’s Mojave Desert, reaching for the first time what the company considers the boundary of space.

The rocket ship hit an altitude of 51 miles (82 kilometers) before beginning its gliding descent, said mission official Enrico Palermo. It landed on a runway minutes later.

“We made it to space!” Palermo exclaimed.The supersonic flight takes Virgin Galactic closer to turning

the long-delayed dream of commercial space tourism into reality. The company aims to take paying customers on the six-passenger rocket, which is about the size of an executive jet.

Virgin Galactic founder richard Branson said there will be more test flights and if all goes well he will take a ride before the public gets its chance.

“I believe that sometime in the second half of next year that we will start being able to put regular people up into space,” he said.

Virgin Galactic considers 50 miles (80 kilometers) the boundary of space because that is the distance used by the US Air Force and other US agencies. That’s different from a long-held view that the boundary is at 62 miles (100 kilometers). Virgin Galactic CEo George Whitesides noted that recent research favors the lower altitude.

Whitesides said a review of the data from the test flight will last into the new year.

“This is a huge step forward and once we look at the data we’ll see what that pathway is,” he said.

At the start of the test flight, a special jet carrying the Virgin Space Ship Unity flew to an altitude near 43,000 feet (13,100 meters) before releasing the craft. The spaceship ignited its rocket engine and it quickly hurtled upward and out of sight of viewers on the ground. The spaceship reached Mach 2.9, nearly three times the speed of sound. ■

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UK

Prime Minister Theresa May. - PA

What next for May, withdrawal agreement?Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote in her leadership but her Brexit plans appear to have reached an impasse.

The arithmetic suggests her current blueprint will struggle to get a majority in the House of Commons, while EU leaders did not give the Conservative leader the assurances she hoped would help ease the passage of the bill. What are the options now?

The EU changes its stance: The backstop in ireland is the stickiest of sticking points – the EU said it will not drop it and Brexiteer MPs are refusing to support any deal which does not contain an exit clause.

European leaders said they would do their utmost so that the backstop – intended to ensure there is no return to a hard border between Northern ireland and the republic – would not be needed, but they insisted they could not re-open the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement.

But without a legally binding promise on the backstop, the doubters will remain.

Norway for now: A softer route to EU withdrawal, which was proposed by Tory backbencher Nick Boles and backed by some labour MPs, would see the UK take on temporary membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) and European free Trade Association (Efta) alongside countries like Norway and Iceland while a future trade deal is negotiated.

Efta membership would allow the UK to remain within a common market area with the EU and continue existing customs arrangements, while pulling out of common agricultural and fishing policies.

No deal: The staunchest Brexiteers, like Jacob rees-Mogg and John redwood, say Britain has nothing to fear from EU withdrawal without a deal.

This would involve the UK falling back on World Trade organisation rules which provide baseline requirements for tariff and customs arrangements between countries outside trading blocs like the EU. ■

Former prime minister Tony Blair. - PA

UK

Blair: UK will require Article 50 extensionEuropean leaders must prepare for the “probability” that Britain will need to stay in the EU beyond March 2019 to allow for a second referendum, Tony Blair is set to urge.

The former prime minister will say the UK will require an extension to Article 50 – the two-year period for leaving the EU – either to negotiate further or for a so-called “People’s Vote”.

As EU leaders meet in Brussels for a European Council summit, Blair will use a speech in central london to reiterate his support for another referendum and urge Europe to make clear they want the UK to stay.

He is expected to say: “Europe should prepare for the possibility now morphing into the near probability that Britain will require an extension of time to the Article 50 process, either to negotiate further or more likely to conduct a new referendum.

“We are now entering a new phase of Brexit. Government has lost the initiative. Parliament has taken it. We know the options for Brexit. Parliament will have to decide on one of them. If Parliament can’t then it should decide to go back to the people.

“Now should be the time of preparation – Parliament to make sure it can canvas the options in sensible manner, one by one, to reach agreement on an option or a referendum. Europe to ensure that if Britain is ready to think again, Europe is ready also to think again.

“All that is necessary is for leadership: in Parliament if not in Government, and in Europe where despite all the myriad of challenges European leaders have, they should understand that changing Brexit would be the greatest boost to Europe’s economy and politics and that therefore, they need to focus on the part they can play and play it.”

The former Labour leader will also say it is “bizarre” that EU leaders feel obliged to deliver Brexit despite not believing in it. ■

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Air New Zealand to trial new flight routeThe first ever direct air service will be trialled between Invercargill and Auckland next year.

Air New Zealand announced the service will operate five days a week departing Invercargill at 6am before a return flight from Auckland about 7.30pm.

It will be the airline’s longest domestic flight, taking two hours on the A-320 jet aircraft.

Air New Zealand head of regional affairs Reuben Levermore said: “The Southland community has told us a direct invercargill-Auckland service is important and we’ve been working closely with stakeholders to achieve this.

“The challenge will be for the community to support the trial of a direct service to ensure it’s sustainable, and we’re confident they’ll do so.”

flights from invercargill will be run on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The Auckland flights will be offered on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

The commencement date will be announced when tickets go on sale in January. ■


- AAP

Sydney soaked as storms continueSydneysiders are dealing with traffic chaos as residents along the length of the NSW coast are being told to prepare for heavy rainfall, damaging winds and large hailstones.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the state’s east with damaging winds up to 90km/h possible including in Sydney, the Hunter region and the Blue Mountains.

Dungong in the Hunter region received 40 millimetres in just 30 minutes during the afternoon as heavy rains drenched much of NSW.

in Sydney, the stormy conditions combined with a car crash on the Harbour Bridge led to peak-hour gridlock with lengthy delays on major arterial roads.

Southbound traffic was queued back into the Lane Cove Tunnel while northbound traffic stretched over the Anzac Bridge to Rozelle, the Transport Management Centre said. Buses were delayed up to 30 minutes.

Elsewhere flooding caused road closures and trains were cancelled due to the severe weather.

Northern lines trains were “bumper to bumper” between Milsons Point and Central, one guard said, after lightning strikes caused delays.

The storm front initially moved across parts of Wollongong, Sydney and Newcastle yesterday.

Emergency crews worked through the night to restore power to more than 40,000 homes.

Some 470 homes remained without power, mostly in and around Warragamba and Silverdale.

The State Emergency Service received 1700 calls for help across NSW and responded to 866 jobs with leaking roofs and downed trees the most common issues.

The SES had to rescue three people from flooded cars in Sydney and four in Albury.

A spokesman warned motorists to avoid unnecessary travel on the weekend and to be vigilant on the roads. ■

- AAP


NORTH AMERICA EUROPE AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND · 2018-12-14 · 1 DECEMBEr 14 (GMT) – DECEMBEr 15...

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Transcript of NORTH AMERICA EUROPE AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND · 2018-12-14 · 1 DECEMBEr 14 (GMT) – DECEMBEr 15...