north america uk australia · 7/14/2020 · washington said a statement issued by us secretary of...

1

JULY 14 (GMT) – JULY 15 (AEST), 2020

AUSTRALIAUKNORTH AMERICA

Trump against ‘anti-cop crusade’

President Donald Trump used a White House law enforcement roundtable to pitch himself as a law and order candidate while warning of a “radical left” push toward lawlessness. Trump appeared with law enforcement officers and people who have had positive interactions with them. “Our officers have been under vicious assault and hundreds of police have been injured, and several murdered,” he said.

Amazon unveils smart cart

Amazon has a new cure for long supermarket lines: a smart shopping cart. The cart uses cameras, sensors and a scale to automatically detect what shoppers drop in. It keeps a tally and then charges their Amazon account when they leave the store. No cashier is needed. It’s the latest attempt by Amazon to shake up the supermarket industry and offer a solution to long checkout lines.

NSW ‘likely’ exposed to outbreak

Suburbs near a COVID-19 cluster at a Sydney pub will not be locked down while the NSW premier concedes Victoria’s coronavirus outbreak has “no doubt” impacted the state. The number of COVID-19 cases linked to the Crossroads Hotel in Casula in Sydney’s southwest hit 28. Of these cases, 14 are people who attended the pub and the remaining are contacts of those cases.

Flu vaccine push amid virus crisis

A second wave of coronavirus infections this winter could be more serious than the first, with 120,000 hospital deaths in a “reasonable worst-case scenario”, scientists advising the Government have warned. A new report from the Academy of Medical Sciences, commissioned by the Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, says action must be taken now to mitigate the potential for a second peak of COVID-19.

UK facing ‘grief pandemic’

The UK is facing a “grief pandemic” after almost half of bereaved adults were denied the ability to say goodbye to their loved ones during lockdown, a report has warned. Some 59 per cent of mourners believe their grieving process has been negatively affected by the coronavirus restrictions, while just over one quarter expressed guilt that their loved one did not have the funeral they deserved.

National Party elect new leader

Long-serving lawmaker Judith Collins will lead New Zealand’s opposition National Party into an election against a popular government in just over two months, taking over from Todd Muller, who quit as leader citing health reasons. Muller shocked lawmakers in the right-of-centre party when he issued a statement saying he was stepping down “effective immediately.”

NEW ZEALANDUKNORTH AMERICA

YOUR DAILY TOP 12 STORIES FROM FRANK NEWS

FULL STORIES START ON PAGE 3

2


AUSTRALIAUKREST OF THE WORLD

US ‘sowing discord’ in S China Sea

China has described a US rejection of its maritime claims in the South China Sea as completely unjustified and accused the US of attempting to sow discord between China and the Southeast Asian countries with which it has territorial disputes. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said a statement issued by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deliberately distorts the facts and disregards the efforts of China and the others to achieve peace and stability.

UAE postpones Mars mission

The liftoff of the United Arab Emirates’ Mars orbiter has been postponed due to bad weather at the Japanese launch site. The orbiter named Amal, or Hope, is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. The launch was scheduled for Wednesday (local time) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, but the UAE mission team announced the rescheduled date on Twitter.

Strategy for near-extinct bird

Translocation is the long-term strategy to save the last wild population of one of the world’s rarest parrots, which lost most of its known habitat in Western Australia’s south to a series of devastating bushfires. Less than 150 Western Ground Parrots are estimated to have survived last year’s inferno in Cape Arid National Park and adjacent Nutysland Nature Reserve. It was the fourth major blaze in the area since 2015 and slashed the bird’s unburnt habitat by about 90 per cent.

‘Shovel-ready’ flood schemes

Funding of £170 million will kick-start “shovel-ready” flood defence projects across England to protect homes, businesses and jobs, the British Government has announced. The funding comes on top of a long term £5.2 billion package being set out by the Government, to construct around 2,000 new flood and coastal defences that will better protect 336,000 properties from flooding by 2027.

UK economy a quarter smaller

The UK economy grew by 1.8 per cent in May as activity began to recover with the easing of coronavirus lockdown but remained a quarter below its pre-pandemic levels, according to official data. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy eked out growth as manufacturing and housebuilding showed signs of recovery after restrictions began to be lifted in May.

NZ politics’ shortest leaderships

Todd Muller may have only served 53 days as leader of the National Party but was his the shortest leadership? Muller resigned as National leader, having beaten Simon Bridges in a leadership contest less than two months earlier. Of the parties currently represented in Parliament, ACT is the only one to come close to taking out the title of having the shortest-serving leader.

NEW ZEALANDUKREST OF THE WORLD

YOUR DAILY TOP 12 STORIES FROM FRANK NEWS

FULL STORIES START ON PAGE 6

3


NORTH AMERICA

Amazon’s smart shopping cart is seen in spring 2020 in Los Angeles. - AP

Amazon unveils smart shopping cartAmazon has a new cure for long supermarket lines: a smart shopping cart.

The cart uses cameras, sensors and a scale to automatically detect what shoppers drop in. It keeps a tally and then charges their Amazon account when they leave the store. No cashier is needed.

It’s the latest attempt by Amazon to shake up the supermarket industry and offer a solution to long checkout lines. The online shopping giant opened a cashier-less supermarket in Seattle that uses cameras and sensors in the ceiling to track what shoppers grab and charge them as they leave. Amazon.com Inc. also has roughly 25 cashier-less convenience stores with similar technology.

The cart, called Amazon Dash Cart, will first show up at a new Los Angeles supermarket Amazon is opening later this year. The store will have cashiers, but Amazon said it wanted to give shoppers a way to bypass any lines. In the future, it could be used at Amazon’s Whole Foods grocery chain or other stores, if Amazon sells the technology, but there are no plans for either right now.

Several startups are already making similar smart shopping carts that are being tested in stores, but many require scanning groceries before dropping them in.

There’s no scanning on the Amazon cart. A screen near the handle lists what’s being charged, and the cart can detect when something is taken out and have it removed from the bill. And there’s also a way to let the cart know if you need to throw a jacket or purse in the cart so you don’t have to carry it around. ■

President Donald Trump. - AP

NORTH AMERICA

Trump rails against ‘anti-cop crusade’President Donald Trump used a White House law enforcement roundtable to pitch himself as a law and order candidate while warning of a “radical left” push toward lawlessness.

Trump appeared with law enforcement officers and people who have had positive interactions with them.

“Our officers have been under vicious assault and hundreds of police have been injured, and several murdered,” he said.

“Far left mayors are escalating the anti-cop crusade and violent crime is spiraling in their cities,” he said.

Trump criticized New York City’s political leaders, saying that last month there were 300 shootings in New York City, and retirements of NYPD officers has quadrupled.

“Yet they spend all their time, they want to do Black Lives Matter signs outside of Trump Tower.”

He continued his broadsides against the movement as his campaign tried to tie them to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

“Reckless politicians have defamed our law enforcement heroes as the enemy,” Trump said. “They call them the enemy. They actually go and say they’re the enemy and even call them an invading army.”

Biden opposes the “defund” idea and wants to change police practices within existing departments while boosting taxpayer support for other social services.

Other establishment Democrats have followed suit. Even progressives differ on exactly what local jurisdictions should do.

“We’ve been very strong on law enforcement,” Trump said. “Numbers are going to be coming down even if we have to

go in and take over cities, because we can’t let that happen.” ■

4


UK

- PA

Lockdown leaves UK facing ‘grief pandemic’The UK is facing a “grief pandemic” after almost half of bereaved adults were denied the ability to say goodbye to their loved ones during lockdown, a report has warned.

Some 59 per cent of mourners believe their grieving process has been negatively affected by the coronavirus restrictions, while just over one quarter expressed guilt that their loved one did not have the funeral they deserved.

A survey of almost 10,000 adults, commissioned by Co-op Funeralcare, found that 47 per cent of bereaved adults in the UK were denied a final farewell in the weeks following March 23, when the country went into lockdown.

This includes those who were unable to say goodbye to their loved one before their death, attend a funeral or view the deceased, according to the funeral provider.

Restrictions on the number of attendees to restrict the spread of COVID-19 meant that many were unable to attend services held in memory of their loved ones, with churches and crematoriums closed to the public.

The Nation in Mourning report – the first in a series looking at how the nation deals with grief – said the impact of funeral restrictions are only just emerging, with experts warning the UK is on the “brink of a grief pandemic”.

The YouGov survey, carried out between May 7-13, found that 2008 out of 9551 respondents had experienced a bereavement during lockdown, with nine per cent stating the death was due to coronavirus.

When asked about the most important way to say goodbye, some 42 per cent of respondents said being present for their death, while 33 per cent chose attending a funeral or memorial service.

Some 37 per cent of mourners said they were unable to pay their respects by attending a funeral, while 45 per cent said the funeral went ahead, or is due to go ahead, with restricted attendees only. ■

- PA

UK

Flu vaccine push amid virus crisisA second wave of coronavirus infections this winter could be more serious than the first, with 120,000 hospital deaths in a “reasonable worst-case scenario”, scientists advising the Government have warned.

A new report from the Academy of Medical Sciences, commissioned by the Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, says action must be taken now to mitigate the potential for a second peak of COVID-19.

It argues that hospitals could potentially see 120,000 COVID-19 deaths in between September and next June at the same time as battling a surge in demand due to usual winter pressures, including flu.

The report, from 37 scientists and academics, acknowledges there is a high degree of uncertainty about how the COVID-19 epidemic will evolve in the UK over the coming months, but sets out a “reasonable worst-case scenario” that would see the R rate rise to 1.7 from September.

The R refers to the number of people an infected person can be expected to pass the virus on to.

The academic modelling suggests there could be a peak in hospital admissions and deaths in January and February 2021, similar to or worse than the first wave in spring 2020. It does not include deaths in the community or care homes.

The figures do not take account of Government intervention to reduce the transmission rate, or the use of the drug dexamethasone in intensive care units, which has been shown to cut deaths.

Professor Stephen Holgate, a Medical Research Council clinical professor of immunopharmacology who led the study, said: “This is not a prediction, but it is a possibility.

“The modelling suggests that deaths could be higher with a new wave of COVID-19 this winter, but the risk of this happening could be reduced if we take action immediately.

“With relatively low numbers of COVID-19 cases at the moment, this is a critical window of opportunity to help us prepare for the worst that winter can throw at us.” ■

5


NEW ZEALAND

Newly elected National Party leader Judith Collins. - RNZ / Dom Thomas

Judith Collins elected as new National leaderLong-serving lawmaker Judith Collins will lead New Zealand’s opposition National Party into an election against a popular government in just over two months, taking over from Todd Muller, who quit as leader citing health reasons.

Muller shocked lawmakers in the right-of-centre party when he issued a statement saying he was stepping down “effective immediately.”

The 67-year-old former business executive had led the party for only 53 days, toppling previous leader Simon Bridges in a leadership coup amid National’s stagnant polling numbers.

Collins was chosen to take over the leadership in a hastily arranged meeting of the party’s parliamentary caucus in Wellington. She is National’s fourth leader in three years and its second female leader.

Collins was first elected to Parliament in 2002, serving in governments under prime ministers John Key and Bill English. She held police and corrections portfolios and is seen to represent the right-wing of the National Party, having previously promoted strong law and order policies.

Collins now faces the task of trying to rally National’s support 67 days from September 19 elections at which it will try to unseat the governing Labour Party of popular Prime Minister Jacina Ardern.

Recent polls show Labour with sufficient support to form a majority government, a first since New Zealand adopted a system of proportional representation in 1996.

All previous governments since that time have been coalitions and Labour currently governs with the support of the Green Party and right-of-centre New Zealand First led by Winston Peters.

Muller’s sudden departure forced a scramble of lawmakers to Wellington during a parliamentary recess.

Muller said his health made his continuation in the leadership untenable. ■

- AAP

AUSTRALIA

NSW ‘likely’ exposed to Victoria outbreakSuburbs near a COVID-19 cluster at a Sydney pub will not be locked down while the NSW premier concedes Victoria’s coronavirus outbreak has “no doubt” impacted the state.

The number of COVID-19 cases linked to the Crossroads Hotel in Casula in Sydney’s southwest hit 28. Of these cases, 14 are people who attended the pub and the remaining are contacts of those cases.

While the source of the outbreak has yet to be identified, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the investigation demonstrates there is “no doubt” the Victorian outbreak has affected NSW.

“It’s highly likely that given the evolving situation in Victoria that NSW was exposed to underlying community transmission from that state,” she said.

Berejiklian was asked if she would consider locking down the suburbs near the Casula pub after the Queensland government declared Sydney’s Liverpool and Campbelltown local government areas as COVID-19 hotspots.

The NSW premier said the measure wasn’t being considered “at this stage”.

Residents of Liverpool and Campbelltown will be barred from entering Queensland, while Queensland-based visitors will be forced into 14 days of hotel quarantine once they return home.

Berejiklian also announced a tightening of restrictions in response to the Casula outbreak with a limit of 300 people at pubs and hotels, and group bookings to be capped at 10 people.

It will be mandatory for pubs and hotels to download and register the COVID-19 safe plan and take down contact details of all patrons.

Venues with a capacity of more than 250 people will be required to have a full-time marshal on site to enforce COVID-19 safety guidelines. ■

6


REST OF THE WORLD

A rendering provided by Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre shows the Hope probe

orbiting Mars. - AP

Weather forces UAE to postpone Mars missionThe liftoff of the United Arab Emirates’ Mars orbiter has been postponed due to bad weather at the Japanese launch site.

The orbiter named Amal, or Hope, is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. The launch was scheduled for Wednesday (local time) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, but the UAE mission team announced the rescheduled date on Twitter.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H-IIA rocket will carry UAE’s craft into space. Mitsubishi launch official Keiji Suzuki had said earlier a postponement was possible as intermittent lightning and rain were forecast over the next few days.

Heavy rain has fallen for more than a week in large areas of Japan, triggering mudslides and floods and killing more than 70 people, most of them on the southern main island of Kyushu.

Hope is set to reach Mars in February 2021, the year the UAE celebrates 50 years since its formation. A successful Hope mission would be a major step for the oil-dependent economy seeking a future in space.

Hope carries three instruments to study the upper atmosphere and monitor the climate and is scheduled to circle the red planet for at least two years.

Emirates Mars Mission Project Director Omran Sharaf said the mission will provide a complete view of the Martian atmosphere during different seasons for the first time.

Two other Mars missions are planned in coming days by the US and China. Japan has its own Martian moon mission planned in 2024. ■

An MH-60R Sea Hawk on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan as USS Mustin steams

alongside in South China Sea. - AP

REST OF THE WORLD

China: US sowing discord in the South China SeaChina has described a US rejection of its maritime claims in the South China Sea as completely unjustified and accused the US of attempting to sow discord between China and the Southeast Asian countries with which it has territorial disputes.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said that a statement issued by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deliberately distorts the facts and disregards the efforts of China and the others to achieve peace and stability in the South China Sea.

“The United States is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue,” the embassy said. “Under the pretext of preserving stability, it is flexing muscles, stirring up tension and inciting confrontation in the region.”

Pompeo said the US now regards virtually all Chinese maritime claims outside its internationally recognised waters to be illegitimate. The new position does not involve disputes over land features that are above sea level, which are considered to be “territorial” in nature.

Previous US policy had been to insist that maritime disputes between China and its smaller neighbours be resolved peacefully through UN-backed arbitration.

Pompeo’s statement was a major change in South China Sea policy, said Zhu Feng, the director of a South China Sea studies centre at Nanjing University. He said other countries challenging China’s claims may take a more aggressive stance because of America’s openly stated support.

“The US didn’t used to comment on the sovereignty issue in the South China Sea, because it itself is not the claimant,” Zhu said. “But this time it has made itself into a judge or arbiter. It will bring new instability and tension.”

He advised against a strong response from China, saying that current US policy toward the country is being driven in a significant way by President Donald Trump’s reelection considerations. ■

7


UK

The Bank of England, in the City of London. - PA

UK economy a quarter smallerThe UK economy grew by 1.8 per cent in May as activity began to recover with the easing of coronavirus lockdown but remained a quarter below its pre-pandemic levels, according to official data.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy eked out growth as manufacturing and housebuilding showed signs of recovery after restrictions began to be lifted in May.

Despite the month-on-month increase in gross domestic product (GDP), output is still a long way from recovering from the record falls seen in March and April when Britain was in full lockdown – and was 24.5 per cent lower compared with February before the crisis struck.

May’s GDP growth is also far short of the five per cent rise expected by most economists.

Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said of the May economy figures: “Manufacturing and house-building showed signs of recovery as some businesses saw staff return to work.

“Despite this, the economy was still a quarter smaller in May than in February, before the full effects of the pandemic struck.

“In the important services sector we saw some pick-up in retail, which saw record online sales.

“However, with lockdown restrictions remaining in place, many other services remained in the doldrums, with a number of areas seeing further declines.”

The ONS said GDP plunged 19.1 per cent in the three months to May.

May’s meagre bounce back comes after GDP contracted at a record-breaking pace in March and April when the economy was brought to a virtual standstill, falling by a downwardly revised 6.9 per cent and 20.3 per cent respectively.

The data showed the all-important services sector grew by 0.9 per cent in May, while manufacturing rose 8.4 per cent and construction by 8.2 per cent as factories and building sites started to get back on stream. ■

Flood water in Tenbury Wells, after Storm Dennis hammered Britain earlier this year. - PA

UK

‘Shovel-ready’ flood schemesFunding of £170 million will kick-start “shovel-ready” flood defence projects across England to protect homes, businesses and jobs, the British Government has announced.

The funding comes on top of a long term £5.2 billion package being set out by the Government, to construct around 2,000 new flood and coastal defences that will better protect 336,000 properties from flooding by 2027.

The £5.2 billion, which will protect thousands of key sites such as schools and hospitals and ensure existing defences are well maintained, will avoid £32 billion of wider economic damage from flooding, the Government said.

And an extra £200 million will be provided for innovative projects, such as creating sustainable urban drainage schemes or wetlands to store water and boost wildlife at the same time, which will be tested out in 25 at-risk areas.

There are also proposed changes to the joint Government and insurance industry Flood Re scheme, as part of the plans being unveiled by ministers.

These include offering discounted premiums to households who have fitted protection measures such as air brick covers, and allowing payment of claims to include additional amounts to rebuild properties so they are better protected from future floods.

The Government also said it would review the policy for building in areas at risk of floods to protect future development, amid concerns over homes being built in the flood plain, and expand flood warning systems.

And the plans include a commitment to doubling the number of Government-funded projects which include natural solutions such as planting trees, restoring peatland and wetlands and looking after soils, which also have benefits for wildlife.

The £5.2 billion investment, announced in the Budget in March, is for schemes from 2021. ■

8


New Zealand politics’ shortest leadershipsTodd Muller may have only served 53 days as leader of the National Party but was his the shortest leadership?

Muller resigned as National leader, having beaten Simon Bridges in a leadership contest less than two months earlier.

Of the parties currently represented in Parliament, ACT is the only one to come close to taking out the title of having the shortest-serving leader. Even then, ‘close’ may be an overstatement – Don Brash racked up a whole 159 days more than Muller.

After a stint away from politics, Brash become the leader of ACT in April 2011, on the same day his party membership was ratified.

Interested in returning to politics, he had said he would launch his own party if he wasn’t offered the job. Brash took the role from Rodney Hide who resigned from his position to endorse Brash.

Brash resigned on election night that same year, when ACT won just over one per cent of the vote.

Following closely in his very light leadership footsteps is Jamie Whyte, who held the ACT leadership for 30 days longer than Brash.

In a similar vein to Brash, Whyte resigned in 2014 following a poor election result, with the leadership going to David Seymour who had won the Epsom seat.

The shortest Labour leadership was held by David Cunliffe, at just shy of one year and two weeks.

Cunliffe too resigned post-election, saying Labour suffered an historic election loss and in resigning as leader he took responsibility for that.

Under him, Labour faced its worst election defeat since 1922, achieving only 25 per cent of the vote. He sought re-election through a primary leadership contest, which he eventually pulled out of. ■

NEW ZEALAND

Former National leader Todd Muller. - RNZ / Tom Kitchin

]

Translocation plan for near-extinct birdTranslocation is the long-term strategy to save the last wild population of one of the world’s rarest parrots, which lost most of its known habitat in Western Australia’s south to a series of devastating bushfires.

Less than 150 Western Ground Parrots are estimated to have survived last year’s inferno in Cape Arid National Park and adjacent Nutysland Nature Reserve.

It was the fourth major blaze in the area since 2015 and slashed the bird’s unburnt habitat by about 90 per cent.

The parrot was the highest-ranked bird species in a provisional list of 113 animals considered the top priorities for urgent intervention, and WA’s Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions launched a major monitoring and management effort in January.

It installed dozens of acoustic recording units in the remote area to capture the parrots’ call, allowing experts to assess population numbers, which can ultimately contribute to a long-term translocation strategy.

The recordings are stored on data cards, which fill up after several months, and a helicopter is the most efficient way to retrieve them.

Paul Wettin of Friends of the Western Ground Parrot said much-needed cash from WIRES Landcare Australia Wildlife Relief and Recovery Grants will fund that work over coming months when several flights are planned.

“Currently some 7500 hours of recordings need to be analysed by DBCA staff,” Wettin said.

He said translocation needed to be considered given the vulnerability of the remaining birds to more fires and other threats such as feral cats, providing an “insurance” population.

“If done, it needs to be in a secure, sustainable location and consider the impacts on the source population,” Wettin said. ■

A Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus flaviventris), in captivity at Two Peoples Bay Nature

Reserve in Western Australia. - AAP

AUSTRALIA

north america uk australia · 7/14/2020 · washington said a statement issued by us secretary of...

Documents