1

OCTOBER 6 (GMT) – OCTOBER 7 (AEST), 2020

AUSTRALIAUKNORTH AMERICA

Pence steps into the spotlight

With President Donald Trump ill with COVID-19, Vice President Mike Pence took the lead role in campaigning, starting a swing through key states to bolster the president’s chance for reelection. Trump left Walter Reed Military Medical Center and returned to the White House, but it’s unclear when he’ll be able to travel. “I spoke to the president a little while back. He sounded great,” Pence said before heading to Utah for this week’s vice presidential debate.

Deadly building collapse

Three workers have been killed when a stairwell collapsed inside a high-rise building under construction in Houston, according to fire department officials. The fire department said one injured worker was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition. A fire department rescue team was on the scene, but authorities were still assessing the building as it was “too unstable” to enter and recover the victims, said Assistant Fire Chief Ruy Lozano.

Budget plans for recovery

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg hopes his budget will fire up the economy from the depths of recession to see growth expanding at a rapid 4.75 per cent in the next financial year. But it comes at a cost, with the budget deficit ballooning to a record $213.7 billion in 2020-21 – dwarfing the $85.3 billion in the Past financial year – and with government debt exceeding $1 trillion by 2021-22.

Pressure over restrictions

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a sizeable Commons Tory rebellion over his Government’s coronavirus restrictions. Conservative critics are calling for significant Government movement on the 10pm pub curfew and the inclusion of children in “rule of six” regulations for gatherings. Leading rebel Steve Baker, who has organised a meeting with like-minded Tory MPs, said he does not expect to defeat the Government, but instead get ministers to shift ground.

Sector outlines recovery plans

The Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) has outlined its plans to help the sector recover from COVID-19. The plans, which were created in consultation, focus on the joint action needed between the industry and the public sector. The plans will work on maximising support for employers and employees, while establishing new ways of working to manage infection control, health and safety and shared learning opportunities.

Ardern bests Collins in debate

Jacinda Ardern has outfoxed opposition leader Judith Collins with a stirring performance in the third leaders debate of the New Zealand election campaign. After lacklustre efforts in previous outings, the Labour leader showed both her stately and relatable sides on stage at James Hay Theatre in Christchurch. On topics as varied as climate change and electric vehicles, youth dental care and the COVID-19 lockdown, Ardern had Collins’ measure.

NEW ZEALANDUKNORTH AMERICA

YOUR DAILY TOP 12 STORIES FROM FRANK NEWS

FULL STORIES START ON PAGE 3

2

OCTOBER 6 (GMT) – OCTOBER 7 (AEST), 2020

AUSTRALIAUKEUROPE

Warning over rising virus fatigue

New data shows significant increases in apathy towards COVID-19 across Europe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Fatigue has been measured in different ways across 27 countries but “is now estimated to have reached over 60 per cent” of the population in some places, said WHO regional director for Europe Dr Hans Kluge. Dr Kluge set out three strategies for addressing the slide towards apathy.

EU: No-deal Brexit more likely

A top European Union official dealing with the United Kingdom says that a cliff-edge rupture between the two without even a basic trade deal by the end of the year is becoming more likely by the day. European Vice President Maros Sefcovic said that “time is short” to reach a deal before a Brexit divorce transition period ends by year’s end, effectively giving negotiators less than four weeks to broker a deal which must subsequently go through a lengthy approval process.

Cluster reaches regional Victoria

Authorities are desperately trying to contain a coronavirus outbreak linked to a butcher at Chadstone Shopping Centre after it spread to regional Victoria. Victoria recorded 15 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday – it’s highest daily total in nine days – and one death, bringing the state’s toll from the virus to 807 and the national figure to 895. Eight of the new cases are linked to known outbreaks, while seven remain under investigation.

PM’s green energy revolution

Every home in the country will be powered by offshore wind within 10 years, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell the Conservative conference as he pledges a green industrial revolution that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Johnson will say the coronavirus crisis should be used as a catalyst to make the UK a world leader in clean power generation.

Vaccine ‘should go to eldery first’

A coronavirus vaccine will not offer a “sudden and complete solution” to the pandemic but is likely to be given to older people first, a Government adviser has said. Professor Adam Finn from the University of Bristol, said the evidence showed that the jab should be first given to older people, carers and those who are vulnerable, before other considerations such as people’s occupations were looked at.

Policy on the fly draws criticism

National’s leader Judith Collins is facing criticism from within over policy decisions that at worst are improvised and at best did not consult the party’s own spokesperson. Collins is having to respond after an email leaked to Newshub showed National’s Auckland Council spokesperson Denise Lee criticising a policy to review Auckland Council.

NEW ZEALANDUKEUROPE

YOUR DAILY TOP 12 STORIES FROM FRANK NEWS

FULL STORIES START ON PAGE 6

3

OCTOBER 6 (GMT) – OCTOBER 7 (AEST), 2020

NORTH AMERICA

The scene of a deadly building collapse in Houston, Texas. - AP

Deadly building collapse in HoustonThree workers have been killed when a stairwell collapsed inside a high-rise building under construction in Houston, according to fire department officials.

The fire department said one injured worker was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition.

A fire department rescue team was on the scene, but authorities were still assessing the building as it was “too unstable” to enter and recover the victims, said Assistant Fire Chief Ruy Lozano. Authorities were working with an engineer at the site of the building.

The 15-story office building, located near Interstate 10 on the city’s westside, is set to be the new headquarters of Houston-based Marathon Oil. Employees were set to move into the building in the second half of 2021.

Marathon Oil did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

The building is located across the street from a series of multi-story apartment complexes and is also north of a popular shopping district that has retail stores and restaurants.

Authorities said more than 200 other workers were accounted for but rescue crews were still working to ensure there were no other victims.

It was not immediately known what caused the partial building collapse.

The names of the workers who were killed and injured were not immediately released. ■

Vice President Mike Pence. - AP

NORTH AMERICA

Pence steps into the campaign spotlightWith President Donald Trump ill with COVID-19, Vice President Mike Pence took the lead role in campaigning, starting a swing through key states to bolster the president’s chance for reelection.

Trump left Walter Reed Military Medical Center and returned to the White House, but it’s unclear when he’ll be able to travel.

“I spoke to the president a little while back. He sounded great,” Pence said at Joint Base Andrews before heading west to Utah for this week’s vice presidential debate.

“When the president told me that he was headed back to the White House, he told me to head to Utah. And we’re looking very much forward to the vice presidential debate,” he said. “The stakes in this election have never been higher and the choice has never been clearer.”

Pence wants to keep the president’s supporters energized and deflect criticism of the administration’s handling of a virus that has killed more than 210,000 Americans. Trump’s positive diagnosis has intensified scrutiny of the administration’s cavalier approach to the pandemic.

The spotlight on Pence will be especially bright when he participates in the vice presidential debate with California Sen. Kamala Harris. Pence will almost certainly be pressed to explain shifting accounts of the president’s health over the weekend and justify Trump’s decision to hold large in-person campaign rallies during a pandemic – events that often flouted public health guidelines by congregating thousands of mostly mask-less supporters.

“Normally, the vice presidential debate is inconsequential. That is not the case in 2020,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who worked on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid. “The public has so many questions about how we got here and it’s an opportunity for Pence to answer some of those.” ■

4

OCTOBER 6 (GMT) – OCTOBER 7 (AEST), 2020

UK

- PA

Construction sector outlines recovery plansThe Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) has outlined its plans to help the sector recover from COVID-19.

The plans, which were created in consultation, focus on the joint action needed between the industry and the public sector.

The plans will work on maximising support for employers and employees, while establishing new ways of working to manage infection control, health and safety and shared learning opportunities.

Short and medium term initiatives include work to help apprentices into trades and preparing the industry to deliver a net-zero built environment.

The recovery plan will be flexible and able to respond to industry needs and economic conditions going forward.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “This recovery plan has been developed through unprecedented levels of collaboration across industry and with Government.

“We will now also work with the sector to help implement the plan’s actions.

“There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on construction. It is absolutely vital for the economic recovery, and to protect jobs, that we get the sector back up to speed as quickly and as safely as possible.

“This plan sets out practical actions for how this can be achieved and we thank everyone who has taken part.”

Ken Gillespie, chairman of Construction Scotland, said: “A huge amount of thought, energy and commitment from participants across Government and the Construction Industry has allowed us to prepare and publish this plan at pace and we are grateful to all those who have contributed.

“The hard work required to implement the plan and find the solutions to the challenges we face continues. ■

Prime Minister Boris Johnson. - PA

UK

Pressure builds over virus restrictionsPrime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a sizeable Commons Tory rebellion over his Government’s coronavirus restrictions.

Conservative critics are calling for significant Government movement on the 10pm pub curfew and the inclusion of children in “rule of six” regulations for gatherings.

Leading rebel Steve Baker, who has organised a meeting with like-minded Tory MPs to discuss tactics, said he does not expect to defeat the Government, but instead get ministers to shift ground.

MPs will vote the day the Prime Minister addresses the virtual Tory conference, on the regulations which enforce the rule of six in England in order to allow them to continue.

Baker said: “Consensus among Conservative MPs seems to be around two points – that children should be excluded from the rule of six and that the 10pm curfew is not justified by evidence.

“I wouldn’t expect to win a vote on either issue. The reality is we need to persuade the Government on all these matters.

“With Labour and the SNP missing in action we won’t be defeating the Government in any rebellions.”

Baker said hard negotiations were happening in order to “keep the Conservative Party together”.

Rebel sources said they expected Health Secretary Matt Hancock would indicate the two main sources of contention – the pub curfew and the rule of six – would be reviewed after going through Parliament in a bid to defuse the situation.

Baker said: “The reality is now that we are in to a long hard business of negotiating with the Government trying to keep the Conservative Party together.

“And trying to persuade the Government to have restrictions which don’t do more harm than good.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has expressed sympathy with people unhappy with the 10pm pub curfew.

Leading Tory backbencher Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said he would back the Government due to increasing COVID cases. ■

5

OCTOBER 6 (GMT) – OCTOBER 7 (AEST), 2020

NEW ZEALAND

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. - AAP

Ardern bests Collins in third election debateJacinda Ardern has outfoxed opposition leader Judith Collins with a stirring performance in the third leaders debate of the New Zealand election campaign.

After lacklustre efforts in previous outings, the Labour leader showed both her stately and relatable sides on stage at James Hay Theatre in Christchurch.

On topics as varied as climate change and electric vehicles, youth dental care and the COVID-19 lockdown, Ardern had Collins’ measure.

And in a “The Price Is Right” round designed to test how in touch the two leaders are with everyday costs, Ardern was able to name the cost of a Netflix plan.

“I believe it’s about $11.99,” she said, naming the monthly price to the cent.

Ardern blundered on the price of a two-kilogram leg of lamb – offering $20 to Collins’ $28 – when the actual price is $42.

However, it didn’t dent a strong night for Ardern, who is heavily favoured to win a second term as PM in the October 17 election.

The popular 40-year-old looked more comfortable in a raucous town hall setting, with a crowd tilted in her favour, after two debates in a TV studio.

On COVID-19, Ardern hit out at National’s run of three leaders since May, saying “every leader we’ve had from National has had a different position and it’s been wrong”.

Collins erred by offering Samoa as a better example of a country which locked down “hard and early”, to use Ardern’s commonly uttered phrase.

The 61-year-old said the island nation, which has not recorded any cases of the virus, locked down a month earlier than New Zealand – in fact it locked down a day later.

After the debate, Ardern declined to declare victory, but said her showing was reflective of her government.

The fourth and final debate will be hosted by TVNZ on Thursday, October 15, two days before the election. ■

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. - AAP

AUSTRALIA

Big deficit as budget spends for recoveryTreasurer Josh Frydenberg hopes his budget will fire up the economy from the depths of recession to see growth expanding at a rapid 4.75 per cent in the next financial year.

But it comes at a cost, with the budget deficit ballooning to a record $213.7 billion in 2020-21 – dwarfing the $85.3 billion in the Past financial year – and with government debt exceeding $1 trillion by 2021-22.

“This is a heavy burden, but a necessary one to responsibly deal with the greatest challenge of our time,” the treasurer said as he handed down his second budget.

“There remains a monumental task ahead. Our plan will grow the economy. Our plan will create jobs. Our plan will continue to guarantee the essential services Australians rely on.”

After predicting a series of surpluses in his last year’s budget, the coronavirus pandemic has seen the economy sink into its first recession in 30 years and a sea of deficits are now forecast as far as the eye can see.

“No one expected the sort of storm of the sort of magnitude that Australia and the world has had to confront this year,” Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said during the budget lock-up.

“But the hard work we have done as a nation during our first six years in government has put us in a strong position to do what was needed to be done when the pandemic and the COVID recession hit.”

However, Treasury has further trimmed back its forecast for the unemployment rate peak to eight per cent by the December quarter this year, having previously predicted a top of around nine per cent.

It had thought the jobless rate would exceed 10 per cent when COVID-19 first hit Australia’s shores.

The government has shelved its pledge to pursue surpluses until the unemployment rate is comfortably below six per cent.

The budget does not forecast an unemployment rate of 5.5 per cent until 2023-24. It was 6.8 per cent in August. ■

6

OCTOBER 6 (GMT) – OCTOBER 7 (AEST), 2020

EUROPE

- 123RF

No-deal Brexit becoming ever more likely, EU saysA top European Union official dealing with the United Kingdom says that a cliff-edge rupture between the two without even a basic trade deal by the end of the year is becoming more likely by the day.

European Vice President Maros Sefcovic told the European Parliament that “time is short” to reach a deal before a Brexit divorce transition period ends by year’s end, effectively giving negotiators less than four weeks to broker a deal which must subsequently go through a lengthy approval process.

And he pointed his finger at British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for making things even more difficult when he decided last month to introduce a bill that breaches the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement it struck with the bloc to make sure it could leave on January 31.

Sefcovic said it made Britain less trustworthy and called the plans “a heavy blow to the British signature and reliability. Respecting agreements is first a matter of law, but also of trust and in good faith.”

He said the plans left the EU with no choice but to launch legal action against Britain. If passed into law, the Internal Market Bill would undermine the EU’s previously agreed oversight of trade to and from Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK and shares a border with EU member Ireland.

The bloc is furious that Britain plans to breach portions of the withdrawal treaty that were put in place to maintain an open Irish border, which has underpinned peace since Northern Ireland’s 1998 Good Friday accord.

Sefcovic said the EU would never change anything to the Brexit divorce deal.

“The full and timely implementation of the withdrawal agreement is simply not debatable,” he said.

Under such adversarial conditions, negotiators from both sides continue to look for common ground to broker a rudimentary trade deal to avoid a barrage of uncertainty, tariffs and red tape that would hurt economies on both sides when the transition window ends on January 1. ■

- AP

EUROPE

Warning over rising levels of virus fatigueNew data shows significant increases in apathy towards COVID-19 across Europe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Fatigue has been measured in different ways across 27 countries but “is now estimated to have reached over 60 per cent” of the population in some places, said WHO regional director for Europe Dr Hans Kluge.

Dr Kluge set out three strategies for addressing the slide towards apathy.

Regular community consultation, including with local authorities as well as “expertise beyond the medical and public health sectors”, should be promoted, he suggested.

There had been positive responses when Scandinavian countries asked the public to help devise “reasonable guidance”, which Kluge said is “a good example of recognising that people are experts in their own environment”.

“Citizens are at the heart of a solution to the pandemic and policymakers should treat them as such,” he added.

New ways of meeting with friends and family are also to be encouraged, with Kluge citing the example of how community groups found safe ways of breaking the fast during Ramadan by doing so virtually or with delivered meals for distanced celebrations.

“A courageous approach, with empathy at its core, will get us through this crisis,” he said.

“We have an opportunity to maximise our community insights into behaviour, to integrate real community participation into public health policy on a scale that has not been done before.” ■

7

OCTOBER 6 (GMT) – OCTOBER 7 (AEST), 2020

UK

- PA

Expert: Vaccine should go to older people firstA coronavirus vaccine will not offer a “sudden and complete solution” to the pandemic but is likely to be given to older people first, a Government adviser has said.

Professor Adam Finn from the University of Bristol, who is a member of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI), which advises ministers on vaccines, said the evidence showed that the jab should be first given to older people, carers and those who are vulnerable, before other considerations such as people’s occupations were looked at.

It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons that the Government would follow JCVI advice on who to vaccinate.

Hancock has distanced himself from comments made by the head of the UK vaccine taskforce, who said less than half of the UK population could be given a jab to protect against the virus.

Kate Bingham said it was “misguided” for people to think the whole population would be vaccinated.

She said: “It’s an adult-only vaccine for people over 50 focusing on health workers and care home workers and the vulnerable.”

But when asked about her comments, Hancock said it was a matter for his department and it would take advice from the JCVI.

Finn from the JCVI said producing a vaccine and vaccinating people was going to “take a while”.

He said: “People should not imagine that there’s going to be a sudden and complete solution.

“These early vaccines I hope will work to some extent, but there are lots of different vaccines, and they will not all work equally effectively.

“So it’s going to be a long drawn-out process getting this right.”

He said vaccine trials would show if the jabs could stop people getting seriously ill, with more evidence on effectiveness at stopping virus transmission coming later on. ■

The Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm on the River Mersey. - PA

UK

Boris pledges green energy revolutionEvery home in the country will be powered by offshore wind within 10 years, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell the Conservative conference as he pledges a green industrial revolution that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Johnson will say the coronavirus crisis should be used as a catalyst to make the UK a world leader in clean power generation.

The wind power plan will see £160 million made available to upgrade ports and infrastructure across areas like Teesside and Humber in northern England, Scotland and Wales as the next generation of turbines are built.

The Prime Minister will address the virtual Tory conference as the Government is mired in controversy over the operation of the coronavirus test and trace system.

He also faces a Tory rebellion in the Commons over COVID-19 restrictions such as the inclusion of children in the “rule of six” governing gatherings, and the 10pm pub curfew.

The speech comes after a tumultuous period in office which has seen Johnson win a major general election majority and the UK formally leave the EU, but face criticism over the Government’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, and his style of Government.

Johnson will say: “There is one area where we are progressing quite literally with gale force speed and that is the green economy – the green industrial revolution that in the next 10 years will create hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of jobs.

“I can today announce that the UK Government has decided to become the world leader in low cost clean power generation – cheaper than coal and gas – and we believe that in 10 years’ time offshore wind will be powering every home in the country, with our target rising from 30 gigawatts to 40 gigawatts.

“We will invest £160 million in ports and factories across the country, to manufacture the next generation of turbines.” ■

8

OCTOBER 6 (GMT) – OCTOBER 7 (AEST), 2020

Collins under pressure over policy on the flyNational’s leader Judith Collins is facing criticism from within over policy decisions that at worst are improvised and at best did not consult the party’s own spokesperson.

Collins is having to respond after an email leaked to Newshub showed National’s Auckland Council spokesperson Denise Lee criticising a policy to review Auckland Council.

Lee called it a “highly problematic idea”, a “nightmare” and “another working group”, and said bypassing her was “incredibly poor form and displays a shockingly bad example of poor culture”, while another National Party member said Collins was consistently “making up policy on the hoof” and creating division.

Collins’ office said she was not available for an interview, but said the policy was one the campaign team had been working on “for several weeks”.

“I decided to release it during an interview on Newstalk ZB this morning, and as leader of the National Party it is entirely appropriate for me to make that call,” Collins said in a written response.

“I have spoken to Denise Lee about this. She, like all of National’s MPs and candidates, is very focused on campaigning and spreading the word about National’s plan to create jobs and let Kiwis keep more of what they earn through tax cuts.”

Collins admitted to media last week that her plan to prosecute businesses taking unfair advantage of the wage subsidy was improvised, and when questioned over whether it would cause trouble said the government can “do pretty much anything it likes if you have the majority”.

She had been questioned during the Newshub debate about whether big businesses who had profited off the wage subsidy without paying it back should be prosecuted.

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern told debate moderator Patrick Gower she thought it was morally wrong. ■

NEW ZEALAND

National leader Judith Collins. - RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Shopping centre cluster reaches regional VictoriaAuthorities are desperately trying to contain a coronavirus outbreak linked to a butcher at Chadstone Shopping Centre after it spread to regional Victoria.

Victoria recorded 15 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday – it’s highest daily total in nine days – and one death, bringing the state’s toll from the virus to 807 and the national figure to 895.

Eight of the new cases are linked to known outbreaks, while seven remain under investigation.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said 28 cases have been linked to the Butcher Club at Chadstone, up from 24 on Monday.

It consists of at least eight staff, 11 close contacts and four customers.

Two people in Kilmore, 60km north of Melbourne, have also tested positive after coming into contact with someone in the cluster.

“That just speaks as to how wildly infectious this virus is,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

“One only has to spend a moment to imagine if Chadstone were open at the moment just how many more cases we might well be dealing with here.

“If there were not restrictions in terms of movement into regional Victoria, as there are, then who knows.”

Sutton said the outbreak was an “illustration” of “just how significantly (the virus) can spread far and wide”.

“I don’t think anyone really understands what a gargantuan task the contact tracing has been through this wave,” he said.

“The average family size in Australia is about 2.5 people. We’ve made estimates that the average family size for the 20,000 cases in this second wave has been between six and 10 people.”

“It’s not twice as hard as the first wave, it is 10 times as hard as the first wave in terms of the challenges of following up these cases.” ■

Victoria has had one death and 15 new virus cases, with Melbourne’s 14-day average

now at 10.6. - AAP

AUSTRALIA