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september 8 (Gmt) – september 9 (Aest), 2019

AUSTRALIAUKNORTH AMERICA

Trump cancels Taliban meeting

President Donald Trump has canceled a secret weekend meeting at Camp David with Taliban and Afghanistan leaders and has called off peace negotiations with the insurgent group. Trump’s tweet was surprising because it would mean that the president was ready to host members of the Taliban at the presidential retreat in Maryland just days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Soldiers to help as Dorian passes

Up to 700 Canadian Forces personnel will be fanning out across the Maritimes to help restore electricity, clear roadways and evacuate residents in flooded areas following the wrath of Dorian. The former hurricane howled into Atlantic Canada as a post-tropical storm with wind gusts reaching nearly 150 kilometres an hour. In the Halifax area the storm uprooted trees, ripped into roofs and pulled down powerlines, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in the dark.

Houses destroyed by bushfires

Queensland fire crews are battling raging bushfires in the most devastating start to the fire season in the state’s recorded history as authorities warn it is an omen of things to come. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services predictive services inspector Andrew Sturgess says the fire danger weather has never been as severe so early in spring. In 130 years of records, about 40 houses have been lost, he said. Over the past week, more than 20 structures have been destroyed.

PM digs in against Brexit delay

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will refuse to accept any “pointless delay” on Brexit, in the clearest move yet that Downing Street is looking for ways to disobey a law blocking no-deal. Opposition MPs and peers rushed a new law through Parliament effectively blocking a no-deal Brexit, forcing the Prime Minister to ask the European Union for a three-month deadline extension if no agreement is in place by October 19.

EU demands ‘impossible to meet’

The EU’s refusal to compromise on the Irish backstop is making a no-deal Brexit more likely, a government minister claims. Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay said the European Union was “blind” to the fact that a cliff-edge Brexit was on the cards as Brussels had set “a test that is impossible to meet”. Michel Barnier reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to the Irish backstop proposals in the Withdrawal Agreement that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has branded unacceptable.

Boost for mental health services

The government has announced it is boosting the funding of more than 20 existing underfunded mental health services. It is also allocating $30 million for the creation of new front-line services that will start operating early next year. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Health David Clark made the announcement in Auckland. The investment is part of the $455m the government set aside for front-line mental health services in this year’s budget.

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Trade war sinks China’s exports

China’s trade with the United States shrank by double digits in August as the two sides prepare for trade talks with no sign of progress toward ending a worsening tariff war that threatens global economic growth. Imports of US goods fell 22.5% from a year earlier to $10.3 billion following Chinese tariff hikes and orders to companies to cancel orders, customs data showed. Exports to the United States, China’s biggest market, sank 16% to $44.4 billion.

Trump urged to ‘liberate’ city

Demonstrators in Hong Kong have marched to the US Embassy, urging President Donald Trump to “liberate” their city as they press for more democratic freedom in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Thousands of people converged at a park in central Hong Kong, chanting “resist Beijing, liberate Hong Kong.” Many of them waved American flags and carried posters that read “President Trump, please liberate Hong Kong.”

Cormann denies conflict with RBA

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has rejected suggestions the Morrison government is at odds with the reserve Bank, saying monetary and fiscal policy are “heading in the same direction”. labor is concerned that a split has emerged between the government and central bank over how to best handle Australia’s slowest economic growth since the global financial crisis. “I reject that position. We’re not at odds with the reserve Bank governor,” Senator Cormann said.

Turkey, US begin ‘safe zone’ patrols

Turkish and US troops have conducted their first joint ground patrol in northeastern Syria as part of a planned so-called “safe zone” that Ankara has been pressing for in the war-torn region. Turkey hopes the buffer zone, which it says should be at least 30 kilometers (19 miles) deep, will keep Syrian Kurdish fighters, considered a threat by Turkey but US allies in the fight against the Islamic State group, away from its border.

Storm leaves destruction in wake

One of the most powerful typhoons to ever hit the Korean Peninsula has left five people dead and three injured in north Korea, state media reported, in its first public announcement of casualties since the storm made landfall in the country a day earlier. Before reaching north Korea, Typhoon lingling hit South Korea, killing three people and injuring 13 others, though the country appears to have escaped widespread damage.

Minister denies vaccine shortage

The health minister says there is no shortage of measles vaccines, and no reason to worry there will be one. Earlier, a South Auckland doctor said she was low on vaccines and unsure when more would be coming from suppliers. She said surplus stock should be moved from other regions to where the demand is. The health minister, David Clark, told reporters he is not concerned with the supply of the vaccine.

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NORTH AMERICA

A man heads past part of an apartment roof that landed on several cars during Hurricane

Dorian in Halifax, Canada. - AP

Soldiers to help as Dorian passesUp to 700 Canadian Forces personnel will be fanning out across the Maritimes to help restore electricity, clear roadways and evacuate residents in flooded areas following the wrath of Dorian.

The former hurricane howled into Atlantic Canada as a ferocious post-tropical storm with wind gusts reaching nearly 150 kilometres an hour.

In the Halifax area, which was among the hardest hit, the storm uprooted trees, ripped into roofs and pulled down powerlines, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in the dark.

nova Scotia Power said it had crews standing by ready to make repairs as soon as it was safe for them to do so.

As the storm plowed into Prince Edward Island, about 50,000 homes and businesses were soon without power, as were another 74,000 in new Brunswick.

Earlier, the west coast of newfoundland and labrador was bracing for heavy rain, strong winds, storm surges and large waves, however, newfoundland Power said it was ready for the storm and would provided updates through an automated alert system.

There have been no reports of injuries in the Maritimes linked to Dorian, but dramatic footage showed a large crane swaying in the wind and collapsing into the side of an empty apartment building under construction in downtown Halifax.

In the city’s south end, a roof was ripped off another apartment complex, while other images on social media showed scores of upended trees, a torn-up waterfront boardwalk, flooded streets and flying debris.

The Canadian red Cross opened three evacuation shelters in the Halifax region. As Dorian closed in on the Maritimes, it strengthened to become a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds reaching 160 km/h. But it weakened by the time it came ashore and was downgraded to a post-tropical storm.

Despite its downgrade, Dorian continued to produce hurricane-force winds well above 120 km/h. ■

President Donald Trump. - AP

NORTH AMERICA

Trump cancels Taliban meetingPresident Donald Trump has canceled a meeting at Camp David with Taliban and Afghanistan leaders and has called off peace negotiations with the insurgent group.

Trump’s tweet was surprising because it would mean that the president was ready to host members of the Taliban at the presidential retreat in Maryland just days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

More than 2400 US troops have been killed since the US invaded Afghanistan to go after the Taliban, which was harboring al-Qaida leaders responsible for 9/11.

Canceling the talks also goes against Trump’s pledge to withdraw the remaining 13,000 to 14,000 US troops from Afghanistan and close US involvement in the conflict that is closing in on 18 years.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the Trump administration’s diplomat talking to the Taliban leaders for months, has said recently that he was on the “threshold” of an agreement with the Taliban aimed at ending America’s longest war. The president, however, has been under pressure from the Afghan government and some lawmakers, including Trump supporter Sen. lindsey graham, r-S.C., who mistrust the Taliban and think it’s too early to withdraw American forces.

“Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday,” Trump tweeted.

“They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations,” he wrote.

On Thursday, a Taliban car bomb exploded and killed an American soldier, a romanian service member and 10 civilians in a busy diplomatic area near the US Embassy in Kabul. The bombing was one of many attacks by the Taliban in recent days during US-Taliban talks. ■

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UK

Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay. - AP

Brussels demands ‘impossible to meet’The EU’s refusal to compromise on the Irish backstop is making a no-deal Brexit more likely, a government minister claims.

Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay said the European Union was “blind” to the fact that a cliff-edge Brexit was on the cards as Brussels had set “a test that is impossible to meet”.

Last weekend, Michel Barnier reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to the Irish backstop proposals in the Withdrawal Agreement that Johnson has branded unacceptable.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Barnier insisted the measures, aimed at preventing a hard border across Ireland, represented the “maximum flexibility” that Brussels can offer.

But Barclay, writing in the same paper, said he felt “nothing we suggest goes far enough and no matter how creative our solutions, the response is a statement of openness which masks a closed position”.

He wrote: “Brussels … is setting a test that is impossible to meet.

“It continues to say it is defending three key objectives – avoiding a hard border, protecting the Single Market and preserving the all-island of Ireland economy.

“But continuing to insist on the inclusion of the backstop means the EU is also insisting on a commitment for the UK to remain in the customs union and parts of the single market.”

The Irish backstop is a contingency measure negotiated by Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May to get an exit deal over the line which could see northern Ireland aligning with some EU single market rules if a trade deal is not agreed by the UK and EU after Brexit.

But Barclay said the government was proposing “reasonable alternative solutions”.

He added: “We are told again and again that it is for london to come to Brussels and provide the solutions.

“What matters is not where we solve this – but how.” ■

Prime Minister Boris Johnson. - AP

UK

PM digs in against Brexit delayPrime Minister Boris Johnson says he will refuse to accept any “pointless delay” on Brexit, in the clearest move yet that Downing Street is looking for ways to disobey a law blocking no-deal.

Opposition MPs and peers rushed a new law through Parliament effectively blocking a no-deal Brexit, forcing the Prime Minister to ask the European Union for a three-month deadline extension if no agreement is in place by October 19.

But, in comments made to two Sunday newspapers, Johnson accused MPs of “trying to wreck” the negotiations and reiterated his commitment to taking Britain out of the EU by Halloween.

The Sunday Times reported that Johnson wants a Supreme Court battle over whether he can defy the rebel law demanding a Brexit extension.

It comes as Work and Pensions Secretary Amber rudd sensationally quit the Cabinet and the Tory Party over Johnson’s decision to sack 21 Tory rebels last week, and the lack of activity in securing an exit deal.

In her resignation letter she said: “I no longer believe leaving with a deal is the government’s main objective.”

Meanwhile, nigel Farage has told The Sunday Times he stands ready to offer a “non-aggression pact” to the PM that he predicted could win a 100-seat majority for the Tories and Brexit Party.

Johnson said he would not ask the EU for an extension to Article 50.

“let’s be clear what is going on in Parliament - there is a group of MPs, led by [labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn, who simply want to block Brexit,” he said.

“They want to stop this country from leaving on October 31, so they are trying to wreck the government’s negotiations. They would force this country to accept ever more dither and delay.

“I refuse to accept Corbyn’s pointless delay.” ■

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NEW ZEALAND

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. - AAP

Funding boost for mental health servicesThe government has announced it is boosting the funding of more than 20 existing underfunded mental health services.

It is also allocating $30 million for the creation of new front-line services that will start operating early next year.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Health David Clark made the announcement in Auckland this morning.

The investment is part of the $455m the government set aside for front-line mental health services in this year’s budget.

Mental health services at 22 general practices and a kaupapa Māori providers across seven District Health Boards will recieve $6m of funding.

Those GPs are in Northland, Waitematā, Auckland, Counties Manukau, lakes, Capital & Coast and Canterbury DHB.

The Ministry of Health will soon ask for proposals to create new, free mental health services worth $30m, in areas currently without them.

The prime minister said the government is committed to taking mental health and addiction seriously.

“Addressing the unmet need for mental health and addiction support is a long-term challenge, but we’re taking immediate action to build on existing services.

“It makes sense to start with those providers already offering mental health support but who have not been previously directly funded by government for it, and who did not have certainty of funding going forward.

“This announcement means these existing providers have the certainty they need to invest in their workforce and facilities. And it means the 170,000 people they serve will continue to get the help that they need when they need it,” Ardern said.

Clark said the government needs to make it easier for people to access help early, to prevent “small issues becoming major problems”. ■

A fire burning near a property in Illinbah, Queensland. - AAP

AUSTRALIA

Houses destroyed by bushfiresQueensland fire crews are battling raging bushfires in the most devastating start to the fire season in the state’s recorded history as authorities warn it is an omen of things to come.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services predictive services inspector Andrew Sturgess says the fire danger weather has never been as severe so early in spring.

In 130 years of records, about 40 houses have been lost, he said.

Over the past week, more than 20 structures – including 15 houses – have been destroyed, with that number expected to rise.

“So this is an omen, if you will, a warning of the fire season that we are likely to see in southeastern parts of the state where most of the population is,” he said.

Acting Premier Jackie Trad said the fires overnight also claimed a piece of Queensland’s history in the gold Coast hinterland.

“Unfortunately overnight the Binna Burra lodge, which has been part of the tourism landscape since 1933, has succumbed to devastation by the fires,” she said.

“We are concerned with several areas, including Central Queensland, but we have firefighters working throughout today and throughout the night.

There were 57 bushfires burning in the state. The two worst were an out-of-control blaze near the border

towns of Applethorpe and Stanthorpe, and the bushfire in difficult terrain near Binna Burra in the Scenic Rim.

Scenic rim regional Council Mayor greg Christensen warned it was still too dangerous for many to return to their homes because they risk being trapped by falling trees and other hazards.

The fire destroyed 11 homes. ■

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REST OF THE WORLD

Protesters wave United States flags during a march on the US consulate in Hong Kong.

- AP

Trump urged to ‘liberate’ Hong KongDemonstrators in Hong Kong have marched to the US Embassy, urging President Donald Trump to “liberate” their city as they press for more democratic freedom in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Thousands of people converged at a park in central Hong Kong, chanting “resist Beijing, liberate Hong Kong.” Many of them, clad in black shirts and wearing masks, waved American flags and carried posters that read “President Trump, please liberate Hong Kong.” riot police stood watch as they began their march to the nearby US Embassy.

“Hong Kong is at the forefront of the battle against the totalitarian regime of China,” said Panzer Chan, one of the organizers of the march. “Please support us in our fight.”

Hong Kong has been rocked by unrest kicked off by a proposed law that would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. Many saw the extradition bill as a glaring example of the Chinese territory’s eroding autonomy since the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.

Hong Kong’s government promised last week to withdraw the bill but that has failed to appease the demonstrators, who have widened their demands to include other issues.

The unrest has become the biggest challenge to Beijing’s rule since Hong Kong’s return from Britain. Beijing and the entirely state-controlled media have portrayed the protests as an effort by criminals to split the territory from China.

Protesters urged Washington to pass a bill, known as the Hong Kong Democratic and Human rights Act, to support their cause. The bill proposes sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials found to suppress democracy and human rights in the city, and could also affect Hong Kong’s preferential trade status with the US.

The US State Department in a travel advisory said Beijing has undertaken a propaganda campaign “falsely accusing the United States of fomenting unrest in Hong Kong.” It said US citizens and embassy staff have been the target of the propaganda and urged them to exercise increased caution. ■

- AP

REST OF THE WORLD

Trade war sinks China’s exportsChina’s trade with the United States shrank by double digits in August as the two sides prepare for trade talks with no sign of progress toward ending a worsening tariff war that threatens global economic growth.

Imports of US goods fell 22.5% from a year earlier to $10.3 billion following Chinese tariff hikes and orders to companies to cancel orders, customs data showed. Exports to the United States, China’s biggest market, sank 16% to $44.4 billion.

Chinese exporters also face pressure from weakening global demand at a time when Beijing is telling them to find other markets to replace the US.

China’s global exports declined 3% to $214.8 billion, a marked reversed from July’s 12.2% gain. Imports were up 1.7% at $180 billion.

US and Chinese negotiators are preparing for talks in October over Beijing’s trade surplus and complaints about its technology development tactics. neither side has given any sign of offering concessions that might break a deadlock.

The decision to go ahead with talks despite the latest tit-for-tat tariff hikes on September 1 encouraged global financial markets.

Talks are due to take place in early October, later than initially planned, but the two governments have yet to set a date. Investors were unsettled by a report officials were struggling to agree on a schedule.

The latest Chinese figures reflected the possible delayed impact of a US tariff hike on July 6. Forecasters had expected that to depress July sales to the United States. ■

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REST OF THE WORLD

A vehicle is damaged by fallen signboard from a building as Typhoon lingling brings strong

wind and rain in Seoul, South Korea. - AP

Deadly storm leaves destruction in wakeOne of the most powerful typhoons to ever hit the Korean Peninsula has left five people dead and three injured in North Korea, state media reported, in its first public announcement of casualties since the storm made landfall in the country a day earlier.

Before reaching north Korea, Typhoon lingling hit South Korea, killing three people and injuring 13 others, though the country appears to have escaped widespread damage.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, said the typhoon left 460 houses and 15 public buildings destroyed, damaged or inundated in the country. It said 46,200 hectares of farmland were buried or inundated.

KCNA said recovery work was underway in typhoon-afflicted areas.

Outside observers said rainstorms could be a catastrophe in north Korea because of poor drainage, deforestation and decrepit infrastructure. South Korean media said north Korea could eventually report more typhoon-related casualties and damage.

According to a previous KCnA dispatch, leader Kim Jong Un “urgently convened” an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss disaster prevention efforts and scolded government officials who he described as “helpless against the typhoon, unaware of its seriousness and seized with easygoing sentiment.”

South Korean weather officials said the typhoon had weakened when it moved through north Korea. They said the storm was moving near russia’s Vladivostok.

South Korea’s interior ministry said earlier that it was reviewing the damage from the typhoon and engaging in recovery work. The storm damaged buildings and knocked out power to about 161,640 homes in South Korea. ■

US armored vehicles travel in a joint patrol of the safe zone between Syria and the Turkish

border with the Tal Abyad Military Council near Tal Abyad, Syria. - AP

REST OF THE WORLD

Turkey, US begin ‘safe zone’ patrolsTurkish and US troops have conducted their first joint ground patrol in northeastern Syria as part of a planned so-called “safe zone” that Ankara has been pressing for in the war-torn region.

Turkey hopes the buffer zone, which it says should be at least 30 kilometers (19 miles) deep, will keep Syrian Kurdish fighters, considered a threat by Turkey but US allies in the fight against the Islamic State group, away from its border.

Associated Press journalists in the town of Tal Abyad saw about a dozen Turkish vehicles with the country’s red flag standing along the border after crossing into Syria, and American vehicles about a mile away waiting. The two sides then came together in a joint patrol with American vehicles leading the convoy.

At least one helicopter hovered overhead. The Turkish Defense Ministry confirmed the start of the joint patrols and said unmanned aerial vehicles were also being used.

Turkey also says some Syrian refugees could be resettled in the zone. Details of the zone and how it would work are still being worked out in separate talks with Ankara and the Kurdish-led forces in Syria known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF.

The joint patrol is the first one taking place as part of the safe zone.

Anadolu Agency said six Turkish armored vehicles crossed into Syria from the border town of Akcakale, opposite from Syria’s Tal Abyad, and joined US vehicles for their first joint patrol of an area east of the Euphrates river.

AP reporters in Tal Abyad said the patrol was headed to a Kurdish-controlled base apparently to inspect it and ensure that trenches and sand berms had been removed. US troops had inspected the base during patrols with the SDF during which some of the berms Turkey had complained about were removed. ■

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Minister denies measels vaccine shortageThe health minister says there is no shortage of measles vaccines, and no reason to worry there will be one.

Earlier, a South Auckland doctor said she was low on vaccines and unsure when more would be coming from suppliers.

She said surplus stock should be moved from other regions to where the demand is.

The health minister, David Clark, told reporters he is not concerned with the supply of the vaccine.

“I’ve been assured that there’s 35,000 vaccines spread across our national and regional clinics, as of Friday,” he said.

“There’s 52,000 more vaccinations anticipated by the end of next week, to arrive, and Pharmac have got talks underway for any beyond that.”

Across the country, confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease topped one thousand people, earlier this week.

Auckland has borne the brunt, with 881 cases in the region. The majority have been in South Auckland, but about 150 were in the Waitematā area covering western and northern Auckland.

By the end of August, more than 300 people with measles had been hospitalised nationwide.

Meanwhile, the Southern District Health Board said six staff from the Queenstown Remarkables ski field had contracted the disease.

Earlier, the DHB said they ran out of supplies of the vaccine, but within days the supplies had been renewed and more than 500 ski staff had been vaccinated.

People who travel to Auckland are being advised to ensure they have been vaccinated.

The Immunisation Advisory Centre website says adults over 18 years old who are not eligible for the vaccine under the public health system cannot buy it, because of the supply agreement. ■

NEW ZEALAND

- rnZ / Claire Eastham-Farrelly

Cormann denies conflict with RBAFinance Minister Mathias Cormann has rejected suggestions the Morrison government is at odds with the Reserve Bank, saying monetary and fiscal policy are “heading in the same direction”.

labor is concerned that a split has emerged between the government and central bank over how to best handle Australia’s slowest economic growth since the global financial crisis a decade ago.

“I reject that position. We’re not at odds with the reserve Bank governor,” Senator Cormann said.

“Monetary policy and fiscal policy is heading in the same direction.”

In a rare interview for a reserve Bank governor, Philip lowe told nine newspapers this weekend he believes the government can do more to generate economic activity, having repeatedly said in recent months that it should not be left to monetary policy, or cutting interest rates, alone.

Cormann said the government has significantly boosted its infrastructure investment pipeline.

“The reserve Bank governor has said on repeated occasions in the last month or two, he expects growth to strengthen into the future, including and in particular, because of the continuing high investment in infrastructure,” the minister said. ■

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann. - AAP

AUSTRALIA

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