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october 27 (GMt) – october 28 (AeSt), 2019

AUSTRALIAUkWORLD

US envoy visits Afghanistan

An Afghan politician has confirmed that US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is in Afghanistan’s capital for his first visit since talks between the US and Taliban collapsed last month. Sayed Hamid Gailani, leader of the National Islamic Front of Afghanistan, said he met with Khalilzad and his team in Kabul to discuss the country’s recent presidential elections and peace efforts.

Hong kong protesters pan police

Hong Kong police fired tear gas to disperse a rally called over concerns about police conduct in months-long pro-democracy demonstrations, with protesters cursing the officers and calling them “gangster cops”. Organisers called the demonstration at a waterfront park but police said the rally was unauthorised and engaged in a standoff with the protesters after ordering them to leave.

NSW battles 74 bushfires

A fire that claimed the lives of two people in northern NSW has been declared out, but firefighters are still battling 74 blazes across the state. After a weekend of hot and windy conditions just one bushfire was left classed as a watch and act by the RFS.

PM may get easy path to election

The Liberal Democrats and SNP are preparing to give Boris Johnson an early Christmas present – the snap December election he has been demanding. The Prime Minister used an article in the Sunday papers to accuse MPs of holding the country “hostage” by refusing a general election.

Labour ‘to take on the wealthy’

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will pledge that the next Labour government will “take on the wealthy and powerful” when he addresses a trade union conference.Corbyn will promise to deliver the investment that Scotland needs and build a fairer, more equal and just society in a speech at the Unite conference in Ayr.

Locals to help police patrols

Police are calling on more Picton locals to volunteer for community patrols to cope with an influx of tourists this summer.Community Patrols of New Zealand works in tandem with police and volunteers, expanding the area monitored for community safety.Blenheim Police Senior Constable Russell Smith said the portside town presented unique challenges in summer, because there were low police numbers.

NEW ZEALANDUkWORLD

YOUR DAILY TOP 12 STORIeS FROM FRANk NEWS

FULL STORIeS START ON PAGe 3

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october 27 (GMt) – october 28 (AeSt), 2019

AUSTRALIAUkWORLD

IS leader believed dead

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world’s most wanted man, is believed dead after being targeted by a US military raid in Syria.

Protests across Pakistan

Thousands of supporters of an ultra-religious party are gathering in Karachi to start a large anti-government march on Pakistan’s capital farther north. Mufti Abrar Ahmed, spokesman for the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, says its leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman will lead the protesters’ caravan.

Flammable cladding on stadium

Major sports venue Marvel Stadium is the latest Victorian building named as having flammable cladding. Some remedial works have already been taken on the combustible material on the stadium’s exterior, the AFL confirmed. The AFL says its stadium, which is located in Melbourne’s Docklands area, is “safe, with no hazard to patron safety”.

Call for more border guards

Greater international co-operation is needed to prevent a repeat of the deaths of 39 people who were found in a container in essex, the shadow home secretary has said. Diane Abbott said Labour would increase security at smaller ports with more border guards and thermal imaging capabilities, as well as pushing to work more closely with european and international partners.

Irish MEPs on subs’ bench

Two Irish MePs have voiced their frustration at not being able to take their place in the european Parliament due to the Brexit impasse. european Ambassadors postponed a decision on how long to delay the UK’s departure from the european Union. It was envisaged that Britain would leave the eU on October 31.

New cameras to help boaties

Cameras providing live images for boaties of three dangerous bars on Waikato’s west coast are now up and running. The cameras have been installed at Port Waikato, Raglan and Kāwhia. Waikato Regional Council senior harbourmaster Chris Bredenbeck said crossing a bar was high-risk for even the most experienced boatie.

NEW ZEALANDUkWORLD

YOUR DAILY TOP 12 STORIeS FROM FRANk NEWS

FULL STORIeS START ON PAGe 6

3

october 27 (GMt) – october 28 (AeSt), 2019

world

Demonstrators gather for a rally at Chater Garden in Hong Kong. - AP

Hong Kong protesters pan ‘gangster cops’Hong Kong police have fired tear gas to disperse a rally called over concerns about police conduct in months-long pro-democracy demonstrations, with protesters cursing the officers and calling them “gangster cops.”

Organisers called the demonstration at a waterfront park but police said the rally was unauthorised and engaged in a standoff with the protesters after ordering them to leave.

The protesters taunted the officers, calling them names, and the situation appeared tense. Police fired rounds of tear gas and moved forward to chase away the crowds.

Police have faced criticism for heavy-headed tactics including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and a water cannon to subdue protesters who have hurled bricks and firebombs.

Protesters said they will also march in support of the former British colony’s ethnic and religious minorities, in a show of unity after police used a water cannon to spray a mosque and bystanders the previous weekend.

Protesters have taken to the streets for more than four months. The movement was initially sparked by an unpopular extradition bill that many residents worried would put them at risk of being sent into China’s Communist Party-controlled judicial system.

The government formally withdrew the bill last week, but the movement has snowballed to include demands for political reform and police accountability.

At a rally organised by medical workers to oppose what they called “violent repression” by police in response to protesters, some protesters jeered and cursed several officers observing from a footbridge.

earlier, the Hong Kong government won a temporary court order banning anyone from posting personal details or photos of police officers online. The order prohibits unlawfully “publishing, communicating or disclosing” officers’ details including their Facebook and Instagram account IDs or photos of officers or their family members. ■

US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. - AP

world

US envoy in Afghanistan to restart peace talksAn Afghan politician has confirmed that US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is in Afghanistan’s capital for his first visit since talks between the US and Taliban collapsed last month.

Sayed Hamid Gailani, leader of the National Islamic Front of Afghanistan, said he met with Khalilzad and his team in Kabul to discuss the country’s recent presidential elections and peace efforts.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Afghan official also confirmed that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had met with Khalilzad.

He said that the meeting took place at the presidential palace.

Khalilzad’s visit to Kabul follows a meeting in Moscow he held with representatives of China, Russia and Pakistan, over restarting peace talks to end Afghanistan’s 18-year-old war. ■

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october 27 (GMt) – october 28 (AeSt), 2019

uk

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. - PA

Labour ‘to take on wealthy, powerful’Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will pledge that the next Labour government will “take on the wealthy and powerful” when he addresses a trade union conference.

Corbyn will promise to deliver the investment that Scotland needs and build a fairer, more equal and just society in a speech at the Unite conference in Ayr.

He will be in Ayrshire after campaigning in marginal seats Motherwell and Wishaw, and Inverclyde.

Mr Corbyn will outline Labour’s plans to invest £70 billion in public services and infrastructure in Scotland, give over 700,000 workers a pay rise of thousands of pounds, including £1,200 per year to those working an average hourly wage of £9.10, and to save over half a million Scots from the “indignity, suffering and misery” of Universal Credit.

He is expected to say: “We will deliver the investment that Scotland desperately needs to transform the economy, rebuild our communities and public services and build a fairer, more equal and just society.

“We will introduce a Real Living Wage, giving three quarters of a million Scots a huge pay rise and we will scrap Universal Credit, saving over half a million Scots from the indignity, suffering and misery that the Tories have unleashed.

“Real change won’t come easily – it never does. But Labour will not shy away from taking on the wealthy and the powerful vested interests holding people back. We will put wealth and power in the hands of the many.

“We have a once-in-a-generation chance to rebuild and transform our country so that no-one is held back and no community is left behind.”

Scottish Tory chief whip Maurice Golden said: “Jeremy Corbyn can make all the Marxist pledges in Ayr that he wants.

“Labour are finished in Scotland and voters know the Scottish Conservatives are the only party capable of challenging the SNP.

“Corbyn’s socialist UK would cost at least £200 billion at the start. ■

Prime Minister Boris Johnson. – PA

uk

PM may get easier path to electionThe Liberal Democrats and SNP are preparing to give Boris Johnson an early Christmas present – the snap December election he has been demanding.

The Prime Minister used an article in the Sunday papers to accuse MPs of holding the country “hostage” by refusing a general election.

He is looking to pile pressure on parliamentarians to give him the two-thirds backing he needs on Monday to secure a trip to the polls.

But the Lib Dems and SNP, in a move that circumvents Labour’s indecision, are reportedly set to offer the Conservative Party leader an even easier route to an election, requiring just a simple majority in the Commons.

If the european Union gives the UK a Brexit delay until January 31, as requested in Johnson’s letter to Brussels last week, then the pro-Remain parties are prepared to give the PM the opportunity to have an election on new terms.

Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, confirmed he had co-signed a letter with Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson to european Council president Donald Tusk in which they sought an extension until January 31 at the earliest so that the “risk of a devastating no-deal Brexit” could be removed.

He added: “If that meaningful extension is secured we will then work together to bring forward an election this year – but on Parliament’s terms, not on the Prime Minister’s.”

The parties’ MPs have drawn up a bill that would allow Johnson to secure a December election with a simple majority of MPs, by-passing the need for two-thirds support.

The draft law would grant an election on December 9 – three days before the PM’s proposed date and, crucially, when more students are still at university to cast their votes in Remain-supporting target swing seats.

The move indicates a split between opposition leaders on whether to go for a December campaign, with Labour putting off their decision on how to vote on Monday. ■

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october 27 (GMt) – october 28 (AeSt), 2019

NEw ZEAlANd

A policeman in New Zealand. - RNZ

Locals to pitch in with police patrolsPolice are calling on more Picton locals to volunteer for community patrols to cope with an influx of tourists this summer.

Community Patrols of New Zealand works in tandem with police and volunteers, expanding the area monitored for community safety.

Blenheim Police Senior Constable Russell Smith said the portside town presented unique challenges in summer, because there were low police numbers.

“It’s a community that is a thoroughfare in terms of the large numbers of people off the ferries. While the vast majority of people are good people and we don’t have any issues with travellers, of course, with any population you are going to get a few rat bags,” he said.

He said Picton often got the odd person who turned up each summer and caused havoc.

“The consequence of that is that in a small place one person who’s on a bit of a crime spree can cause a fair bit of devastation and upset the community quite dramatically,” Smith said.

He helped set up Blenheim’s community patrol two years ago and said having a similar initiative in Picton would help ensure police had eyes and ears in a variety of places.

Moira Conroy is the administrator for the Blenheim Community Patrol and is the temporary coordinator for the Picton patrol.

She said they had trained four patrollers for the Picton team, but still needed more.

“Ideally it would be lovely to have 12 to 14 patrollers, but hey, any number to get them going would be great,” she said.

Conroy said being a patroller was all about working alongside police and being present in the community, which often deterred crime before it happened. ■

One of almost 1200 firefighters tackling large bushfires on the NSW mid-north coast. - AP

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NSW firefighters battle 74 bushfiresA fire that claimed the lives of two people in northern NSW has been declared out, but firefighters are still battling 74 blazes across the state.

After a weekend of hot and windy conditions just one bushfire was left classed as a watch and act by the RFS.

The blaze at Kangawalla east of Glen Innes was declared out of control by authorities, with firefighters managing to bring two others burning in northern NSW under control.

The fires – one of which burned through more than 2600 hectares in the Darawank area, north of Forster-Tuncurry, and a separate fire in Tuncurry which jumped a river and began spotting close to town – were declared under control on Sunday evening.

At midday some 85 fires were burning across the state with 45 not contained, but by early evening that number had been downgraded to 74.

“Crews have worked tirelessly today protecting homes and slowing the spread of fire,” the RFS said.

“Right now [74] fires continue to burn with more than half yet to be contained. There is weeks of work ahead without the prospect of any meaningful rain.”

The RFS said it received reports of damaged or destroyed properties on the 90-odd firegrounds across the state.

Fire activity increased over the weekend under the influence of erratic winds, the RFS said.

After more than a month of burning, the RFS declared the Long Gully Road fire near Drake was finally out on Sunday.

The fire, which began on September 5, burnt through more than 74,000 hectares, destroyed 44 homes and killed two people. ■

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october 27 (GMt) – october 28 (AeSt), 2019

world

Demonstrators in Islamabad, Pakistan. - AP

Anti-government march in Pakistan Thousands of supporters of a religious party are gathering in karachi to start a large anti-government march on Pakistan’s capital farther north.

Mufti Abrar Ahmed, spokesman for the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, says its leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman will lead the protesters’ caravan.

The beginning of the JUI protest also marks the anniversary of the start of the conflict over Kashmir, a province both India and Pakistan claim. Separate anti-India protests are planned across Pakistan.

Ahmed said supporters from Karachi and surrounding areas will travel in buses and vans toward the capital. He said the caravan plans to reach Islamabad on October 31, to protest Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “illegitimate” government which the Islamist party says came to power through the army’s support. ■

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. - AP

world

US official: IS leader is believed deadAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world’s most wanted man, is believed dead after being targeted by a US military raid in Syria.

A US official said that al-Baghdadi was targeted in Syria’s Idlib province. The official was not authorised to discuss the strike and spoke on condition of anonymity.

President Donald Trump teased a major announcement, tweeting that “Something very big has just happened!”

The strike came amid concerns that a recent American pullback from north-eastern Syria could infuse new strength into the militant group, which had lost vast stretches of territory it had once controlled.

Al-Baghdadi led IS for the last five years, presiding over its ascendancy as it cultivated a reputation for beheadings and attracted hundreds of thousands of followers to a sprawling and self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

He remained among the few IS commanders still at large despite multiple claims in recent years about his death and even as his so-called caliphate dramatically shrank, with many supporters who joined the cause either imprisoned or jailed.

His exhortations were instrumental in inspiring terrorist attacks in the heart of europe and in the United States.

Shifting away from the airline hijackings and other mass-casualty attacks that came to define al-Qaida, al-Baghdadi and other IS leaders supported smaller-scale acts of violence that would be harder for law enforcement to prepare for and prevent.

In the US, multiple extremists have pledged their allegiance to al-Baghdadi on social media, including a woman who along with her husband committed a 2015 massacre at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California.

With a $25 million US bounty on his head, al-Baghdadi had been far less visible in recent years, releasing only sporadic audio recordings, including one just last month. ■

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october 27 (GMt) – october 28 (AeSt), 2019

uk

Irish MEPs ‘frustrated’ on subs’ benchTwo Irish MEPs have voiced their frustration at not being able to take their place in the European Parliament due to the Brexit impasse.

european Ambassadors postponed a decision on how long to delay the UK’s departure from the european Union. It was envisaged that Britain would leave the eU on October 31.

Barry Andrews, a first-time candidate for Fianna Fail in Dublin, and Deirdre Clune – a sitting Fine Gael MeP re-elected for the Ireland South constituency – were due to take the seats they won in May when the UK left the eU.

However, the date for Britain leaving the eU looks set to extend beyond the end of October and the pair say they are in limbo until a date is confirmed.

A european Parliament spokesman has confirmed the two MePs have no formal or informal position, expenses or facilities until the UK leaves the european Union.

Under eU law, 751 MePs, including 73 from the UK, were elected following the european elections in May.

eleven MePs were elected – four from Midlands North West, four from South and three from Dublin.

The elections were conducted with an extra seat in the South and Dublin constituencies, but the winners of those two seats cannot take their place in parliament until the British MePs leave.

Andrews said in the meantime he has been keeping busy with speaking engagements and voluntary work.

“Obviously it is frustrating from a personal standpoint,” he said. “However, I would be happy to encourage patience on all sides of the Brexit debate and discourage Brexit fatigue.

“It is obviously not in my interests to say that but it is in the national interest and it looks as if we are reaching an end point to the Brexit process and it is no longer a question of if they will leave, but when. There is not a lot we can do until we get that final clarity.” ■

Lorries queue up at the Port of Dover. - PA

uk

Call for more border guards, port checksGreater international co-operation is needed to prevent a repeat of the deaths of 39 people who were found in a container in Essex, the shadow home secretary has said.

Diane Abbott said Labour would increase security at smaller ports with more border guards and thermal imaging capabilities, as well as pushing to work more closely with european and international partners.

Abbott said: “One of the things we are seeing is these smaller east coast ports are more vulnerable than Dover, for instance, which has a lot of very serious safeguards.

“So, one thing we should do is look at security in those smaller ports.”

She added: “Thermal imaging, more border guards. But we need to look at security in these east coast ports because that is clearly a problem.”

Abbott warned that Brexit would mean Britain would lose access to eU international policing measures.

She said: “One of the concerns about crashing out of the eU without a deal is we lose access to european arrest warrants, we lose access to important databases, we lose access to europol.

“So, we have to look if we are out of the eU by that time, which we can’t this point say, we have to look at better eU-wide co-operation and better international co-operation altogether.

“You cannot stop international people trafficking gangs –if people trafficking is what this is – you can’t stop them without working internationally. Yes, we can try and make our east coast ports more secure, but you have to have more international co-operation.”

She added: “I think what you have to do is lose the assumption that immigrants are a threat and migrants are always a problem.

“You have to get the information from people who are seeking to come here. It’s a different type of process.” ■

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october 27 (GMt) – october 28 (AeSt), 2019

Cameras to help boaties over dangerous crossingsCameras providing live images for boaties of three dangerous bars on Waikato’s west coast are now up and running. The cameras have been installed at Port Waikato, Raglan and Kāwhia.

Waikato Regional Council senior harbourmaster Chris Bredenbeck said crossing a bar was high-risk for even the most experienced boatie.

He said the cameras would help skippers make the best decision possible in deciding whether or not to cross a bar.

“It will help inform them of the conditions right now as you are looking at it and a photograph last taken within a minute is a pretty amazing piece of information if you are trying to make that decision,” he said.

Bredenbeck said crossing bars was the most dangerous part of boating.

The tidal flow coming in and out of harbours crossed over a shallow part at the entrance, creating a swell or waves.

“It can turn a nice, comfortable half-a-metre roller into a standing wave if you are in the wrong conditions,” he said.

Bredenbeck said bars were dangerous in any harbour, however conditions on the west coast were more exposed than the east coast.

“Our prevailing winds come from the south-west, we have a more exposed ocean, so we tend to carry bigger swells on the west coast.”

The cameras are independently powered by a solar battery.They will also aid in the rescue of capsized boats by

providing up-to-date, real-time positions of where vessels and their occupants are. Coastguard has access to the cameras.

“If a boat has come to grief there should be quite a few photos of what is occurring before such time that it goes under,” Bredenbeck said.

The regional council said this would aid in any rescue and reduce the search time in potentially dangerous conditions.

The camera project has cost $17,500, which has come from the council’s innovation fund and Vodafone. ■

NEw ZEAlANd

A camera now offers images that will help boaties navigate a bar at Raglan. - RNZ

Flammable cladding on sports stadiumMajor sports venue Marvel Stadium is the latest Victorian building named as having flammable cladding.

Some remedial works have already been taken on the combustible material on the stadium’s exterior, the AFL confirmed.

The AFL says its stadium, which is located in Melbourne’s Docklands area, is “safe, with no hazard to patron safety”.

“A section of cladding that was originally installed during the stadium’s construction has been extensively analysed as low risk,” the AFL said in a statement.

Independent experts declared the cladding to be “low-risk”, the AFL says.

“The stadium will continue to work with the City of Melbourne to ensure the stadium delivers a safe and fun environment for the thousands of patrons who attend the sports and events at the venue every week,” a spokesman said.

The stadium will undergo a $225 million redevelopment which may include changing some of the cladding as a result of the new design.

It is understood that the cladding was compliant at the time the stadium was built in 2000.

The cladding was reportedly found late last year after the AFL bought the stadium in 2016.

The use of aluminium cladding panels with a polyethylene core of more than 30 per cent is already banned in Victoria, but this has been difficult to enforce.

Victoria has already announced a $600 million fund to remove the dangerous material from about 500 buildings identified as high risk by a task force.

In February, a cigarette sparked a fire in the 40-storey Melbourne CBD apartment tower NeO 200, which is covered in flammable cladding.

The 40-storey building had previously been identified as “moderate risk” and inspected by the Victorian Building Authority. ■

Combustible cladding has been identified on Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. - AAP

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