NORTH AMERICA UK AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND · severely injured and still more trapped in debris....

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october 2 (GMt) – october 3 (AeSt), 2018

AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALANDUKNORTH AMERICA

US at odds with most of world

US President Donald Trump dominated this year’s gathering of global leaders, but his rejection of “the ideology of globalism” left America almost singlehandedly holding a nationalist banner against urgent calls from an overwhelming number of countries for the world to work together. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the week-long meeting declaring that global co-operation is the world’s best hope.

Mine worker killed by bears

A female bear and her two cubs mauled and killed a young man working at a remote mine site on a south-east Alaska island with one of the highest bear densities in the state, authorities said.Anthony David Montoya, 18, a contract worker from Hollis, Oklahoma, died at a remote drill site accessible only by helicopter, according to Hecla Greens Creek Mine and authorities.

PM to Labor: Support GST deal

The coalition will take a new GST deal to the next election if Labor blocks proposed changes because they don’t guarantee all states are better off. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten originally said he was on a unity ticket on a GST floor for Western Australia in August. But after seeing the proposal, Labor is concerned there is no protection in the draft legislation to guarantee a better deal for all states.

Chequers plan ‘needs rebrand’

Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint urgently needs renaming so Tory party members understand the proposals, a pro-Brexit Cabinet minister has urged. The Prime Minister’s Chequers plan for the future relationship between the UK and the EU should instead be referred to as the “PM’s proposal”, the source suggested, but insisted there is “nothing wrong” with its contents.

Boris: Trust your instincts

Boris Johnson will use his eagerly-anticipated speech at the Tory conference to issue a clarion call to activists to “believe in Conservative values”. In what will undoubtedly be seen as a pitch to replace Theresa May as leader, Johnson will not only restate his opposition to the prime minister’s handling of Brexit but call on Tories to focus on law and order, tax cuts and house-building in order to defeat Labour.

National MP stands down

National MP Jami-Lee Ross is standing down from his portfolios and from the frontbench of the opposition due to personal health issues. Ross said he had asked for time off on medical leave for “a few months”. “There are times in life where you have to put your own health and family first. As a husband and a father, I need to do that at this time,” he said.

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AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALANDREST OF THE WORLDNORTH KOREA

N Korea has ‘60 nuclear weapons’

A top South Korean official says North Korea has up to 60 nuclear weapons, in Seoul’s first public comment about the size of the North’s secrecy-clouded weapons arsenal. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told parliament the estimates on the size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal range from 20 bombs to as many as 60. He was responding to a question, saying the information came from intelligence authorities.

N Korea: Peace deal not a ploy

North Korea has warned Washington through its state media that a declaration ending the Korean War shouldn’t be seen as a bargaining chip in denuclearisation talks – but suggested lifting sanctions might be. The North’s official news agency issued a commentary claiming Pyongyang has taken significant measures to end hostile relations between the two countries.

Hospital evacuated over threats

Patients have returned to a Melbourne hospital from where they were evacuated after two bomb threats. Sixty patients and staff from Epworth Hawthorn were moved to a nearby park after the hospital received the threats by telephone.An Epworth Healthcare spokeswoman said patients were able to make their way back into the building about two hours after the threats were received.

Chinese ship ‘came too close’

The US Pacific Fleet says a US Navy ship had to manoeuvre to prevent a collision with a Chinese destroyer in the South China Sea that came aggressively close. Lieutenant Commander Tim Gorman said the Chinese destroyer approached the USS Decatur in an “unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre” near Gaven Reefs. Gorman said the Chinese destroyer approached within 41m of the Decatur’s bow.

Quake death toll rises

Desperation exploded into anger four days after an earthquake and tsunami decimated parts of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi, leaving hungry residents grabbing food from damaged stores and begging the president for help. The confirmed toll exceeded 1200 dead with hundreds severely injured and still more trapped in debris.

Antics near sea lions criticised

Visitors to a Dunedin beach have been caught on camera posing for photos and dancing close to protected sea lions, as a local wildlife expert says such behaviour is a constant frustration. Dunedin woman Glynis Corson, of Company Bay, captured the footage at Sandfly Bay on the Otago Peninsula. It showed a young woman dancing in front of a large New Zealand sea lion on the beach.

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NORTH AMERICA

Bear sign and police tape. - AP

Mine worker killed by group of bearsA female bear and her two cubs mauled and killed a young man working at a remote mine site on a south-east Alaska island with one of the highest bear densities in the state, authorities said.

Anthony David Montoya, 18, a contract worker from Hollis, Oklahoma, died at a remote drill site accessible only by helicopter, according to Hecla Greens Creek Mine and authorities. Mine officials said workers receive training on how to deal with bears because of the large number in the area.

Alaska State Troopers said Montoya was mauled by the three bears, all of which were killed before they arrived. It was not immediately clear who killed them.

Montoya worked for Idaho-based Timberline Drilling, which provides core drilling services at Greens Creek, the mine said in a release. His body was being taken to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

The silver mine is on Admiralty Island, which is about 18 miles (29km) south-west of Juneau and where an estimated 1500 brown bears roam, said Stephen Bethune, a biologist with the Alaska Department of fish and Game. Tours to the island that’s largely uninhabited by people tout bear-viewing possibilities.

The island also has the world’s highest density of nesting bald eagles, according to the department. Its only permanent community is Angoon, which is accessible by plane or ferry.

However, run-ins with bears on Admiralty Island are fairly unusual, Bethune said, noting there was a nonfatal attack within the past three years.

Mike Satre, manager of government and community relations with the mine, said employees and contractors receive training on bears.

Workers are taught, for example, ways to prevent bear encounters, including proper disposal of food. Bear spray is available to carry between buildings and trained personnel use bean bags to scare away bears from established areas. ■

US President Donald Trump. - AP

NORTH AMERICA

Trump at odds with most of worldUS President Donald Trump dominated this year’s gathering of global leaders, but his rejection of “the ideology of globalism” left America almost singlehandedly holding a nationalist banner against urgent calls from an overwhelming number of countries for the world to work together.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the week- long meeting declaring that global co-operation is the world’s best hope and warning that “multilateralism is under fire precisely when we need it most.” And General Assembly President Maria Espinosa Garces wrapped up the meeting, during which all 193 UN member nations spoke, saying that one of its major achievements was strong global backing for the UN and multilateralism.

The high turnout of leaders – 121 presidents, prime ministers and monarchs – “is because the world cares about the United Nations and the world cares about multilateralism, and the need to strengthen the multilateral agenda,” Espinosa Garces said in a news conference. And the General Assembly is the body “for international coexistence.”

But Trump’s speech, not long after Guterres’, poured scorn on multilateralism and touted his “America first” policy, saying his administration has achieved more “than almost any administration in the history of our country,” which sparked chuckles and outright laughter from some leaders.

“We will never surrender America’s sovereignty to an unelected, unaccountable, global bureaucracy,” the US president said. “America is governed by Americans. We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism.”

One of the very few countries to speak out for nationalism was Hungary, which has erected razor wire fences to keep people out. foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called migration the greatest challenge in history, saying “migratory waves” are creating huge security risks, destabilizing countries, and bringing terrorism to a region where it did not exist before. ■

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UK

Boris Johnson. - EPA

Johnson to Tories: Trust your instinctsBoris Johnson will use his eagerly-anticipated speech at the Tory conference to issue a clarion call to activists to “believe in Conservative values”.

In what will undoubtedly be seen as a pitch to replace Theresa May as leader, Johnson will not only restate his opposition to the prime minister’s handling of Brexit but call on Tories to focus on law and order, tax cuts and house-building in order to defeat Labour.

His call for Tories to stick to their tax-cutting guns will come as a rebuke to Chancellor Philip Hammond, who has openly admitted taxes will rise to help pay for the £20 billion spending boost promised to the NHS.

The Tory gathering in Birmingham is becoming a grudge match between the former foreign secretary and the Chancellor, who launched a savage assault on Johnson in a series of newspaper and broadcast interviews.

Hammond mocked his former Cabinet colleague by mimicking his style of speaking in an interview, in which he predicted that Johnson will never become PM.

Accusing Johnson of lacking the attention to detail to succeed in “grown-up politics”, he dismissed the “super-Canada” Brexit deal favoured by the former foreign secretary as a “fantasy world” plan.

Extracts released ahead of Johnson’s speech to a fringe meeting suggest he will present himself as ready to stand up for Tory values and lead a fight against Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour.

In what may be seen as a swipe at May’s focus on righting “burning injustices” in society, he will urge the party not to “ape Corbyn” but to “take basic conservative ideas and fit them to the problems of today”.

Speaking at a fringe meeting hosted by the ConservativeHome website, Johnson will say: “We must on no account follow Corbyn, and start to treat capitalism as a kind of boo word.” ■

Prime Minister Theresa May. -EPA

UK

Chequers plan ‘needs rebrand’Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint urgently needs renaming so Tory party members understand the proposals, a pro-Brexit Cabinet minister has urged.

The Prime Minister’s Chequers plan for the future relationship between the UK and the EU should instead be referred to as the “PM’s proposal”, the source suggested, but insisted there is “nothing wrong” with its contents.

Brexiteers and Remainers have lined up to condemn the plans – including Boris Johnson, who walked out of the Cabinet in protest after they agreed the proposals. Johnson described the plans as “deranged”, but May has insisted they are in the national interest.

The Brexit-backing Cabinet minister said Johnson was “not being helpful” and has “misjudged” Chequers, but suggested a rebrand was needed as many in the party do not understand the proposals.

“We should call it something else. There is nothing wrong with it, but it urgently needs rebranding,” they said.

“I would rather refer to it as ‘The PM’s proposal’.”The senior Tory also criticised Brexiteers who believe there

is “no problem” with the Irish border, saying: “Businesses in Northern Ireland are spitting blood. They believe that ‘no-deal’ would be a serious problem.

“The PM is taking a pragmatic approach. Her proposal would solve the border and allow us to do trade deals elsewhere, but we have a lot of work to do to explain it to members.”

The minister struck a positive tone over the no-deal plans, saying they are going “really well” – with legislation going through parliament and technology being developed.

“But if WTO (World Trade Organisation rules) is so good, why do we want trade deals with other countries?” they questioned.

“If we go out without any deal we have literally nothing in March. It would be a big adjustment. Businesses will adjust quickly, but there would be disruption.”

The source also said MPs would not vote to “go over the cliff edge”. ■

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AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND

Jami-Lee Ross. - RNZ / Richard Tindiller

National MP stands down from portfoliosNational MP Jami-Lee Ross is standing down from his portfolios and from the frontbench of the opposition due to personal health issues.

Ross said he had asked for time off on medical leave for “a few months”.

“There are times in life where you have to put your own health and family first. As a husband and a father, I need to do that at this time,” he said.

Party leader Simon Bridges said Ross had “asked for some time away from Parliament to deal with some personal health issues”.

Ross’ Transport portfolio will be picked up by Paul Goldsmith, and Judith Collins will take over his Infrastructure portfolio.

Andrew Bayly will take over Goldsmith’s Revenue portfolio.Bridges said the decision had nothing to do with the

party’s ongoing leak investigation, and he would not be making any further comment on Ross’ health issues as it was a private matter. ■

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. - AAP


PM urges Labor to support GST dealThe coalition will take a new GST deal to the next election if Labor blocks proposed changes because they don’t guarantee all states are better off.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten originally said he was on a unity ticket on a GST floor for Western Australia in August.

But after seeing the proposal, Labor is concerned there is no protection in the draft legislation to guarantee a better deal for all states.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is adamant the overall package will leave all states and territories better off, challenging Shorten to support the bill in parliament.

“The crab walk seems to be starting from him when it comes to the fairer deal on the GST that WA deserves,” Morrison said.

The package guarantees WA’s GST share stays above 75 cents in the dollar, after to crashed to below 30 cents following the mining boom.

While eastern states have raised concerns they’ll be worse off under the deal, Morrison said he doesn’t need their approval to pass the legislation.

“The only person who can derail the better, fairer deal for WA is Bill Shorten,” the prime minister said.

He vowed to take the package to the next election if Labor abandoned support for the measures.

Shorten said WA had been unfairly treated, but he wanted to make sure no state would be worse off.

“Let’s not play any silly games here,” he said.“I don’t want to see Tasmania, Queensland, any of the

other states, Northern Territory disadvantaged because the government’s trying to chase a few votes in Western Australia.”

Treasurer Josh frydenberg said the coalition government had made changes to online sales and compliance, which means an extra $6.5 billion was now being caught in the GST net.

He said the government can pay for changes to the GST because the coalition was bringing the budget back to surplus. ■

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NORTH KOREA

Missiles on display during a North Korean military parade. - AP

N Korea has ‘up to 60 nuclear weapons’A top South Korean official says North Korea has up to 60 nuclear weapons, in Seoul’s first public comment about the size of the North’s secrecy-clouded weapons arsenal.

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told parliament the estimates on the size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal range from 20 bombs to as many as 60.

He was responding to a question, saying the information came from intelligence authorities. The National Intelligence Service, South Korea’s main spy agency, couldn’t immediately comment.

Cho may have unintentionally revealed the information.His ministry said Cho’s comments didn’t mean South Korea

would accept North Korea as a nuclear state, suggesting Seoul’s diplomatic efforts to rid the North of its nuclear program would continue.

The South Korean assessment on the North’s arsenal is not much different from various outside civilian estimates largely based on the amount of nuclear materials that North is believed to have produced.

According to South Korean government reports, North is believed to have produced 50kg of weaponised plutonium, enough for at least eight bombs.

Stanford University scholars, including nuclear physicist Siegfried Hecker who visited North Korea’s centrifuge facility at Nyongbyon in 2010, wrote earlier this year that North Korea is estimated to have a highly enriched uranium inventory of 250 to 500kg, sufficient for 25 to 30 nuclear devices.

Many foreign experts say North Korea are likely running additional secret uranium-enrichment plants. ■

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. - AP

NORTH KOREA

North Korea: Peace deal not a ployNorth Korea has warned Washington through its state media that a declaration ending the Korean War shouldn’t be seen as a bargaining chip in denuclearisation talks – but suggested lifting sanctions might be.

The North’s official news agency issued a commentary claiming Pyongyang has taken significant measures to end hostile relations between the two countries but said the US is “trying to subdue” it through sanctions, a not-so-subtle call for Washington to lift sanctions if it wants further progress in their stalled nuclear negotiations.

The commentary said a declaration replacing a 65-year-old armistice to formally end the war “is not just a gift from a man to another,” and added, “it can never be a bargaining chip for getting the DPRK denuclearised”.

The DPRK is short for the North’s official name – the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The commentary was directed at supporters of the US policy to maintain maximum pressure and sanctions on North Korea until it has made clear and significant moves to denuclearise.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – a vocal advocate of that policy – is expected to travel to Pyongyang soon to try to revive the negotiation process and set the stage for a second summit between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong Un.

The commentary echoes a speech by North Korea’s foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, at the United Nations last week in which he claimed North Korea is ready to implement the agreements Trump and Kim made during their first summit, in Singapore in June, but also accused Washington of failing to demonstrate its willingness to ease tensions and build mutual trust.

“Without any trust in the US, there will be no confidence in our national security,” he said, “and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first.” ■

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REST Of THE WORLD

Military personnel unload aid logistics from a military plane in Palu, Indonesia. -EPA

Earthquake death toll rises to more than 1200Desperation exploded into anger four days after an earthquake and tsunami decimated parts of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi, leaving hungry residents grabbing food from damaged stores and begging the president for help. The confirmed toll exceeded 1200 dead with hundreds severely injured and still more trapped in debris.

Most of the attention of rescuers so far has focused on the biggest affected city, Palu, which has 380,000 people and suffered considerable damage.

Other hard-hit areas have been largely cut off due to impassable roads and downed power and phone lines after the magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck and generated a tsunami said to have been as high as 6m in places.

“We feel like we are stepchildren here because all the help is going to Palu,” said Mohamad Taufik, 38, from the area of Donggala, who said five of his relatives are still missing. “There are many young children here who are hungry and sick, but there is no milk or medicine.”

The death toll for all affected areas reached 1234, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in Jakarta. More people remain trapped in Sigi and Balaroa, meaning the toll is likely to rise.

“With all the logistical aid coming in, the service to the refugees is better,” Nugroho said. “We still need more time to take care of all the problems.”

He said 153 bodies were buried in a mass grave and the operation continued.

A special aircraft carrying 12,000 litres of fuel had arrived and trucks with food were on the way with police escorts to guard against looters. Nugroho said many gas stations were inoperable either because of quake damage or from people stealing fuel. ■

American destroyer USS Decatur. - EPA

REST Of THE WORLD

Chinese destroyer ‘came too close’The US Pacific Fleet says a US Navy ship had to manoeuvre to prevent a collision with a Chinese destroyer in the South China Sea that came aggressively close.

Lieutenant Commander Tim Gorman said the Chinese destroyer approached the USS Decatur in an “unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre” near Gaven Reefs.

Gorman said the Chinese destroyer approached within 41 metres of the Decatur’s bow.

China claims most of the strategic waterway.The Chinese defence ministry said it opposes the US

warship’s entry into the waters “around China’s islands and reefs”.

It confirmed a Chinese missile destroyer was immediately deployed to identify the American vessel and drive it away.

The Chinese foreign ministry said it strongly urged the US to stop its “provocative” actions.

Relations between the US and China have deteriorated over an escalating trade dispute but ties have worsened in recent weeks with a US decision to issue economic sanctions over the purchase of Russian fighter jets and surface-to-air missile equipment.

Beijing said the US had no right to interfere in Chinese military co-operation with Russia.

In response to the sanctions, China summoned the American ambassador and defence attache to deliver a protest and recalled its navy commander from a US trip.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has since dropped plans to visit China in October for talks. ■

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Antics near sea lions criticisedVisitors to a Dunedin beach have been caught on camera posing for photos and dancing close to protected sea lions, as a local wildlife expert says such behaviour is a constant frustration.

Dunedin woman Glynis Corson, of Company Bay, captured the footage at Sandfly Bay on the Otago Peninsula.

It showed a young woman dancing in front of a large New Zealand sea lion on the beach.

After about 20 seconds the protected marine mammal became increasingly agitated and lunged at the woman, but she managed to get away.

Another photo she captured showed a visitor to the beach posing for a photo and waving beside another large sea lion.

Corson said she wanted to show tourists visiting New Zealand “what not to do’’.

“I was just flabbergasted really, I could not believe it … she didn’t have a clue.’

“Complete stupidity getting so close.’’She was “really cross’’ after the incident and confronted the

woman and her friends, but they had very limited English and appeared not to understand her complaints.

There had been at least three groups of visitors to Sandfly Bay getting too close to sea lions, and she eventually took her young family home because she did not want to further worry the animals.

She suggested airlines could provide advice on viewing wildlife along with their pre-flight safety videos.

New Zealand sea lions (rāpoka/whakahao) are a nationally critically endangered species according to the Department of Conservation (DOC), with only about 12,000 remaining in the wild.

DOC biodiversity ranger Jim fyfe said the dancing woman’s behaviour was likely an offence under the Marine Mammals Protection Act and she risked a hefty fine.

There were a few people every season who got too close to local wildlife, he said. ■


A woman dances in front of the marine mammal at Sandfly Bay. - Supplied

Hospital evacuated over bomb threatsPatients have returned to a Melbourne hospital from where they were evacuated after two bomb threats.

Sixty patients and staff from Epworth Hawthorn were moved to a nearby park after the hospital received the threats by telephone.

An Epworth Healthcare spokeswoman said patients were able to make their way back into the building about two hours after the threats were received, and surgery and procedures would go ahead as planned.

Police also evacuated surrounding buildings, and train services at the nearby Hawthorn Station were affected, as were tram services in the area. ■

- AAP


NORTH AMERICA UK AUSTRALIA + NEW ZEALAND · severely injured and still more trapped in debris....

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