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NOVEMBER 20 (GMT) – NOVEMBER 21 (AEST), 2019

AUSTRALIAUKNORTH AMERICA

‘Distracted driver’ caused crash

The National Transportation Safety Board has condemned the lack of state and federal regulation for testing autonomous vehicles before finding that a distracted human safety driver was the main cause of a fatal 2018 crash involving an Uber vehicle. The board criticsed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for failing to lead in regulating tests on public roads. But it also said states need to adopt their own regulations.

Child bears blame for window

A child, not the grizzly bears, cracked a glass viewing window at the Oakland Zoo’s bear exhibit, and officials say there’s no need to fear the bears will get out. Oakland Zoo spokeswoman Erin Harrison said in a statement that a child hit a rock against the glass several times, “shattering the laminate layer.” She says the bulletproof-strength glass at the enclosure where four grizzly bears live is made of six separate panes, each an inch (2.5 centimeters) thick.

PM boosts infrastructure funds

The Morrison government plans to pump $1.78 billion into the economy over the next 18 months through spending more on roads and rail projects. Over the next four years, it will put on the table $3.8 billion in fast-tracked spending, including $1 billion in new cash. About a third of that will be spent in Queensland. Western Australia will have a $868 million injection while the South Australia deal was for $415 million.

Leaders even in first debate

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn were almost inseparable in the eyes of viewers after a series of heated exchanges during the first televised debate of the General Election. Johnson edged a snap YouGov poll 51-49 although Labour figures were pleased with the showing of their leader in the prime-time ITV slot. The pair clashed over their rival plans for Brexit, with Corbyn describing the Prime Minister’s pledge to “get Brexit done” by the end of January as “nonsense”.

DUP won’t back Corbyn regime

The DUP leader has made clear her party would not support a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government in a hung parliament. At the launch of a policy document in Belfast, Arlene Foster claimed Corbyn would be bad for the future of the Union. Foster predicted that the votes of her party’s MPs could again prove vital in deciding the make-up of the next government.

Bridges turns up heat on NZ First

National Party leader Simon Bridges wants Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to take stronger action over allegations that New Zealand First has breached electoral law. The party has received tens of thousands of dollars in loans from the New Zealand First Foundation. Loans are not subject to the same disclosure rules as donations. The Electoral Commission has received a complaint and is seeking more information from the party.

NEW ZEALANDUKNORTH AMERICA

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AUSTRALIAEUROPEREST OF THE WORLD

China fears after mask ban

Criticism from China’s rubber-stamp parliament of a Hong Kong court decision is raising concerns that Beijing may move to flex its legal muscles and overrule the verdict. That’s laying bare the limits of the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong is granted a “high degree of autonomy” by Beijing, threatening the independence of the territory’s judiciary and tightening Beijing’s political control – fears that have helped fuel the protest movement.

Abe’s leadership milestone

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made history by becoming Japan’s longest-serving political leader, though he hasn’t achieved his biggest goal of revising the nation’s pacifist constitution. Abe marked his 2887th day in office, surpassing Taro Katsura from the early 20th century. Following his disappointing 2006-2007 term, Abe returned to office in 2012 and has since bolstered Japan’s defence role.

Firefighters get little reprieve

NSW firefighters are bracing for another day of high fire danger this week, with more hot and windy weather forecast. Those battling blazes were set for a brief reprieve from difficult bushfire conditions, but fresh misery is due later this week. While most fires have been downgraded to advice level, a 29,000-hectare blaze at Myall Creek Road in Bora Ridge, southeast of Casino, has been elevated to watch and act.

Migrants found in container

Body copy all one paragraph.Cut at the end of a sentence. Twenty-five migrants have been found in a refrigerated container on a ferry bound for the UK from the Netherlands. The Britannia Seaways ship returned to the port of Vlaardingen, near Rotterdam, after the stowaways were discovered. Gert Jakobsen, vice president of communications with the ship’s operator DFDS, said the migrants were found after they made a hole in the trailer.

Call for self-employed base wage

A national minimum wage should be introduced for self-employed workers as a “crucial step” towards improving their financial security, a report has urged. Demos said the move would provide a legal obligation on firms to pay their contractors a minimum rate, arguing it should be higher than the regular national minimum wage to cover the additional risk lower-paid self-employed workers are bearing as a result of their financial insecurity.

New electorate boundry changes

Half of New Zealand’s electoral boundaries are expected to change, and a new electorate is proposed for South Auckland. The Representation Commission released its report on the proposed boundaries and names of electorates for the next two elections today. It suggested the number of electorates increase by one to 72 because of population growth.

NEW ZEALANDUKREST OF THE WORLD

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NORTH AMERICA

A Grizzly bear in water behind a enclosure window broken by a child in California. - AP

Child bears blame for broken windowA child, not the grizzly bears, cracked a glass viewing window at the Oakland Zoo’s bear exhibit, and officials say there’s no need to fear the bears will get out.

Oakland Zoo spokeswoman Erin Harrison said in a statement that a child hit a rock against the glass several times, “shattering the laminate layer.”

She says the bulletproof-strength glass at the enclosure where four grizzly bears live is made of six separate panes, each an inch (2.5 centimeters) thick.

She says another zoo visitor reported the child to staff, but they couldn’t find the family.

Harrison says a replacement glass plane will cost $67,000 and require specialty equipment to install next month. ■

An Uber SUV after hitting a woman on March 18, 2018 in Tempe, Arizona. - AP

NORTH AMERICA

NTSB: Distracted driver caused fatal Uber crashThe National Transportation Safety Board has condemned the lack of state and federal regulation for testing autonomous vehicles before finding that a distracted human safety driver was the main cause of a fatal 2018 Arizona crash involving an Uber vehicle.

The board criticsed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government’s road safety agency, for failing to lead in regulating tests on public roads. But it also said states need to adopt their own regulations.

“In my opinion they’ve put technology advancement here before saving lives,” NTSB member Jennifer Homendy said of NHTSA, after NTSB staff members called self-regulation inadequate. “There’s no requirement. There’s no evaluation. There’s no real standards issued.”

NHTSA has issued voluntary guidelines including safety assessment reports from autonomous vehicle companies, but only 16 have filed such reports, the NTSB said. Yet there are 62 companies with permits to do testing in California. The agency has instead avoided regulations in favour of allowing the technology to move forward because it has tremendous life-saving potential.

NTSB staffers told the board that NHTSA has no mechanism to evaluate the companies’ safety reports, and since they aren’t mandatory, few are submitting them.

The board voted to recommend that NHTSA require companies to turn in the reports and set up a process for evaluating them. NHTSA should make sure the companies have proper safeguards in place. Those would include making sure that companies show that they are monitoring vehicle operators to ensure they are paying attention during the tests, the NTSB said.

In a statement, NHTSA said it welcomes the NTSB report “and will carefully review it and accompanying recommendations.” ■

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UK

Arlene Foster, Leader of the DUP. - AP

DUP won’t support Corbyn regimeThe DUP leader has made clear her party would not support a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government in a hung parliament.

At the launch of a policy document in Belfast, Arlene Foster claimed Corbyn would be bad for the future of the Union.

At an event that highlighted how the £1 billion secured by the DUP as part of its confidence and supply deal with the Conservatives had been spent in Northern Ireland, Foster predicted that the votes of her party’s MPs could again prove vital in deciding the make-up of the next government.

She insisted her party would not countenance a deal with Corbyn.

“A Jeremy Corbyn government would be bad for Northern Ireland and in a hung parliament we would not support him to be prime minister,” she said.

Foster rejected the suggestion that Corbyn might be a more attractive option than Boris Johnson, given the Labour leader wants to renegotiate the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal – an agreement the DUP is strongly opposed to.

“We are very clear that we will not be supporting a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party in a government because we believe Jeremy Corbyn would not only be hugely detrimental to the United Kingdom in terms of the break-up of the United Kingdom, and we have heard the whole discussion around the Scottish independence referendum, and we would be very fearful for the economy of the United Kingdom and we would be very fearful for the defence of our United Kingdom on a global scale,” she said.

“So there are many, many reasons why we couldn’t in all consciousness (sic) support a Jeremy Corbyn-led administration.”

At the launch of the DUP’s policy plan titled Let’s Get NI Moving Again, Foster urged unionists to come out in numbers to support her party’s 17 candidates.

“The stakes could not be higher for Northern Ireland and its future direction,” she said. ■

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during the election

head-to-head debate live on TV. - AP

UK

Johnson, Corbyn ‘near inseparable’ in debateBoris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn were almost inseparable in the eyes of viewers after a series of heated exchanges during the first televised debate of the General Election.

Johnson edged a snap YouGov poll 51-49 although Labour figures were pleased with the showing of their leader in the prime-time ITV slot.

The pair clashed over their rival plans for Brexit, with Corbyn describing the Prime Minister’s pledge to “get Brexit done” by the end of January as “nonsense”, while Johnson suggested his rival was “not fit to lead our country”.

Corbyn also accused the Government of entering into secret talks with the US to open the NHS to American pharmaceutical companies in a future trade deal.

But Johnson hit back, denouncing the claims as “an absolute invention”, insisting there were “no circumstances whatsoever” in which a Conservative government would put the NHS “on the table” in trade talks.

He said the Labour leader was trying to disguise the “void” at the heart of his Brexit policy, which meant he was unable to say which way he would vote in Labour’s planned second referendum.

He accused Corbyn of being prepared to strike a deal with the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon to get the votes he needs to enter No 10 at the price of a second referendum on Scottish independence, something the Labour leader rejected.

YouGov’s poll, which surveyed 1646 viewers, also found Johnson appeared more prime ministerial, although Corbyn was considered more trustworthy.

And Johnson dropped a hint about the Tory manifesto when asked if social care would be included, saying: “Yes there will and we think that nobody should pay for the cost of their social care by selling their home and everybody should have dignity and security in their old age.” ■

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NEW ZEALAND

National Party leader Simon Bridges. - RNZ/Dom Thomas

Bridges puts heat on Ardern over NZ FirstNational Party leader Simon Bridges wants Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to take stronger action over allegations that New Zealand First has breached electoral law.

The party has received tens of thousands of dollars in loans from the New Zealand First Foundation. Loans are not subject to the same disclosure rules as donations.

The Electoral Commission has received a complaint and is seeking more information from the party.

Bridges said he thought the passing the matter to a Commission investigation was “good” but “not sufficient”.

“I think what we first need to see is leadership from the prime minister, her stepping in, ensuring there’s a full independent investigation,” he said.

When challenged that the issue being before the Electoral Commission meant there a full and independent investigation was already under way, he said it “goes to the heart of the government in my view and its integrity”.

“New Zealand First props up the government. It is at the core of this government. The prime minister may want to wash her hands of it, she can’t.”

“She should be asking what other steps should or shouldn’t be taken. The reality is she isn’t”.

Interviewer Kim Hill pressed Bridges on what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern should do differently.

“Why is letting the Electoral Commision investigate not doing her job?” she asked.

“It’s good, okay,” he responded. “I’m not making any claim that is anything other than good. The Electoral Commission looking at this is good”. ■

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. - AAP

AUSTRALIA

Morrison announces infrastructure boostThe Morrison government plans to pump $1.78 billion into the economy over the next 18 months through spending more on roads and rail projects.

Over the next four years, it will put on the table $3.8 billion in fast-tracked spending, including $1 billion in new cash.

About a third of that will be spent in Queensland.Western Australia will have a $868 million injection while the

South Australia deal was for $415 million.Announcements for the other states and territories are

anticipated in coming days.Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was important that

governments of all persuasions could work together to get more money into the economy.

“What we’ve been able to do over the last six months … we’ve painstakingly gone through this process of identifying the projects that can be brought forward,” he said.

“You don’t just rush in to spending $3.8 billion, spraying it around out of a hose.”

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the extra funding would go a long way to creating jobs in regional Australia.

“What we want to see is more hi-vis on the ground. What we want to see is more excavators pushing dirt around,” he said.

The government has lionised its $100 billion infrastructure pipeline since the April federal budget but has faced criticism in recent months about the speed of its delivery.

Labor, big banks, economists and the Reserve Bank have called for the government to bring forward some of the planned projects to stimulate the economy.

Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers says the calls have been vindicated.

“For months now in the face of all of those calls from all of those organisations the government’s been saying that their policy settings are bang-on and that the fundamentals of the economy are strong,” he said. ■

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REST OF THE WORLD

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. - AP

Abe becomes Japan’s longest serving leaderPrime Minister Shinzo Abe has made history by becoming Japan’s longest-serving political leader, though he hasn’t achieved his biggest goal of revising the nation’s pacifist constitution.

Abe marked his 2887th day in office, surpassing Taro Katsura from the early 20th century.

Following his disappointing 2006-2007 term, Abe returned to office in 2012 and has since bolstered Japan’s defence role but hasn’t yet been able to change the constitution to allow a full-fledged military.

Abe has been stepping up his effort for a change before his party leadership ends in September 2021, despite the lack of public interest.

Abe renewed his pledge to beat deflation, tackle Japan’s ageing and declining population and achieve a constitutional revision. ■

Demonstrators wearing masks gather during an anti-government protest in Hong Kong.

- AP

REST OF THE WORLD

Mask ruling stokes intervention fearsCriticism from China’s rubber-stamp parliament of a Hong Kong court decision is raising concerns that Beijing may move to flex its legal muscles and overrule the verdict.

That’s laying bare the limits of the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong is granted a “high degree of autonomy” by Beijing, threatening the independence of the territory’s judiciary and tightening Beijing’s political control – fears that have helped fuel the nearly six-month-old protest movement in Hong Kong.

A statement from the National People’s Congress’ Legislative Affairs Commission said some deputies had expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the Hong Kong court’s ruling, which struck down a ban on face masks at protests.

Pro-Beijing figures had strongly urged the ban, which was imposed last month after Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked emergency powers under a 1922 British colonial-era statute that allowed her to circumvent the Legislative Council.

The statement drew strong criticism from independent legal bodies, including the Hong Kong Bar Association. In its own statement, the association said Hong Kong courts have previously struck down unconstitutional laws and there has never been any suggestion that they had no right to do so.

Laws already on the books, such as the “Emergency Regulations Ordinance,” were included in the territory’s legal code after the 1997 handover from British colonial control unless otherwise ruled out by the NPC.

However, the statement said the court’s decision “seriously weakened the rightful administrative powers” of Hong Kong’s leader and doesn’t conform with either the territory’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, or the NPC’s decisions.

The commission said, “We are currently studying opinions and suggestions raised by some NPC deputies.” ■

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UK

- PA

Call for minimum wage for self-employedA national minimum wage should be introduced for self-employed workers as a “crucial step” towards improving their financial security, a report has urged.

Demos said the move would provide a legal obligation on firms to pay their contractors a minimum rate, arguing it should be higher than the regular national minimum wage to cover the additional risk lower-paid self-employed workers are bearing as a result of their financial insecurity.

Research among 2000 workers for the think tank found that an overwhelming majority of self-employed people worry about their financial situation, with more than a third not feeling secure about their financial future.

The report, supported by NatWest, added that workers such as those in the so-called gig economy and the self-employed face greater barriers to financial inclusion compared with other employees.

They are less likely to hold financial products and are almost twice as likely to be turned down for financial products due to their employment history than traditional employees, said the report.

Ben Glover, of Demos, said: “Self-employed workers are not protected by the safety net that many of us take for granted, from sick pay to maternity cover.

“This bargain is only fair if self-employed people earn enough to cover the additional risk they take on, but too often in Britain today this is simply not happening.

“That’s why we are calling for a new, higher minimum wage for the self-employed.”

Marcelino Castrillo, of NatWest, said: “With the rate of innovation and change within the financial services sector, it is vital that we explore how the workforce is changing and how this will impact their financial services requirements.” ■

- AAP

EUROPE

Migrants discovered in container bound for UKTwenty-five migrants have been found in a refrigerated container on a ferry bound for the UK from the Netherlands.

The Britannia Seaways ship returned to the port of Vlaardingen, near Rotterdam, after the stowaways were discovered.

Gert Jakobsen, vice president of communications with the ship’s operator DFDS, said the migrants were found after they made a hole in the trailer.

The roll on, roll off ferry was not far off the Dutch coast en route to Felixtowe, Suffolk, when the discovery was made.

Jakobsen said police were waiting at the port and the migrants were taken to hospital by ambulance to check for hypothermia.

“We don’t know about the checks. Of course, they were not in a very good condition,” he said.

“Unfortunately this is not the first time we have had such a situation. Of course, it’s rare they hide in a refrigerated trailer.

“But we do find migrants even though we try to prevent it.”It is not known the ages or sex of any of the migrants or

where they are from.Dutch police said 23 people were transferred to a police

station after medical check-ups, while two were receiving extra care in hospital.

Dogs are searching for other migrants were still on the ship.It comes weeks after the bodies of 39 Vietnamese migrants

were found in a refrigerated lorry container in Essex after arriving on a ferry from Zeebrugge, Belgium. ■

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New electorate to change boundariesHalf of New Zealand’s electoral boundaries are expected to change, and a new electorate is proposed for South Auckland.

The Representation Commission released its report on the proposed boundaries and names of electorates for the next two elections today.

It suggested the number of electorates increase by one to 72 because of population growth.

Changes are proposed to 35 of the 71 current electorates, with the biggest moves in Auckland, Christchurch, Otago and Southland.

In the country’s biggest city, a new electorate is being proposed, called Flat Bush.

The new electorate will have an overall population of 66,306 and draws in people from the current electorates of Manurewa, Papakura and Hunua.

Down south, boundary changes are slated for Selwyn because of rapid population growth.

The number of Māori electorates remains at seven, however adjustments are proposed for Tamaki Makaurau to cover a bigger area around Te Atatu South.

Meanwhile, a minor change is proposed between Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Te Tai Tonga in Naenae.

Name changes are being proposed as well.That includes changing Rodney to Whangaparaoa, Hunua to

Port Waikato, Rimutaka to Remutaka and Port Hills to Banks Peninsula.

The public will get their change to have a say over the coming months, along with public hearings, before boundaries are finalised in April.

Commission chair Judge Craig Thompson said change was needed for the 2020 election.

“The important factor is that each electorate needs to have approximately the same number of people in it – so that everybody has an equal representation in Parliament,” he said. ■

NEW ZEALAND

- RNZ / Sarah Robson

Firefighters get little relief from fire dangerNSW firefighters are bracing for another day of high fire danger this week, with more hot and windy weather forecast.

Those battling blazes were set for a brief reprieve from difficult bushfire conditions, but fresh misery is due later this week.

While most fires have been downgraded to advice level, a 29,000-hectare blaze at Myall Creek Road in Bora Ridge, southeast of Casino, has been elevated to watch and act.

The Rural Fire Service warned there will be “broad areas of very high and severe fire danger”.

There were more than 50 fires across the state, 22 of which were uncontained. More than 1000 firefighters remain in the field.

“The weather conditions are more favourable … with a predominantly coastal wind influence, southerly influence … which is certainly going to deliver some consistency across the fire grounds in terms of wind direction,” Rural Fire Service NSW Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

Fitzsimmons said tough fire conditions in NSW would return, with a weather system coming in from South Australia bringing hot easterly winds.

Unlike recent conditions, that would endanger much of southern NSW.

“We know over the coming days, particularly tomorrow, we’re expecting again widespread very high to severe conditions,” Fitzsimmons said.

“This time, the indications are (it will be) the southern half of NSW with some of the more widespread, worst conditions. We’ve got a long way to go yet.”

Parts of NSW could also experience heatwave conditions this week with the state’s west set to reach 40C and western Sydney to hit the high-30s.

The RFS said six lives and 577 homes had been lost to date this fire season, with more than 420 homes lost in the past fortnight. ■

A firefighter battles bushfires in NSW. - AAP

AUSTRALIA

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