UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has committed to a closer trading relationship between the UK and EU, if Labour wins an election. Car manufacturer Vauxhall has stated it may close factories in the UK, and the costs of electrical vehicle manufacturing in the UK may become unsustainable without changes to the terms of trade with Brussels. The article argues that fears of such outcomes could be alleviated by a government committed to exploiting the practical benefits of post-Brexit freedoms through reducing energy prices, lowering corporate taxes and reducing the burden of red tape. Instead, senior Conservative politicians are said to be embarrassed about Brexit and the project is blamed for causing political and economic issues, according to former UKIP leader, Nigel Farage. The article questions whether Labour sought clarity on issues around the UK’s exit from the EU, or whether it only questioned how its negative impact could be lessened.
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that he wants to reduce legal migration as figures are expected to balloon to around 700,000 next week. However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to promise that he will meet his manifesto pledge of getting migration below 2019 levels. Cabinet splits are reportedly emerging, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman calling for more British workers to be trained in industries with shortages instead of relying on foreign workers. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said the UK needs to be “pragmatic” about filling shortages with foreign workers. An official report, expected to be released next month, is predicted to show that annual net migration has tripled since the Brexit promise was made in 2019. Sunak was repeatedly asked whether he was committed to reducing net migration to the quarter of a million figure promised in the Conservative manifesto, but declined to say it would be met.
Former Bosnia wartime prison camp guard who settled in US facing federal charges
The Toronto Star
23-05-17 21:09
Kemal Mrndzic, a former guard of the Celebici prison camp during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, has been arrested and charged with fraud and other crimes. Mrndzic, who fled the country after the war and was granted refugee status and later US citizenship based on a false claim that he had been captured and abused by Serb forces, was identified by survivors as being involved in beatings and abuses at the prison camp. Other charges against him include using a fraudulently obtained US passport and possessing and using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate and Social Security card.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party (UCP) in the upcoming Alberta election is under fire for comparing transgender children at school to "feces in food." Jennifer Johnson issued an apology for her “embarrassing” comments and vowed to seek counsel on how to best communicate her views, but said she will remain in the race for Lacombe-Ponoka. Some people have called for UCP Leader Danielle Smith to dismiss Johnson as a candidate for the party.
Florida's new immigration law risks triggering a shortage of workers on farms and construction sites, critics have warned. The legislation, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, mandates that firms employing more than 25 workers must verify employees' legal right to work in the US. While truck drivers have called for a boycott of deliveries to the state, videos purporting to show empty supermarkets due to the measures are unrelated, with one video having been recorded during Hurricane Ian in 2022, and the other showing a refrigerator malfunction at a single Walmart store.
Canadian leaders are in disagreement over who should pay to prevent automaker Stellantis NV potentially moving its battery plant. The disagreement has arisen over Ontario and Ottawa granting Stellantis and its partner LG Energy Solution $1bn in subsidies to build a plant in Windsor. The estimated cost of this plant is $5bn. Prime Minister Doug Ford wants the feds to step in and finance the whole amount, while the feds believe Ontario should contribute its “fair share”. There is no defined agreement to who should pay and no figure for how the plant should be subsidised.
Violence erupted at a Democratic party convention in Minneapolis over the weekend when delegates were choosing a candidate for the forthcoming city council race. A video posted on social media showed supporters for the incumbent candidate, Aisha Chughtai, taking to the stage, leading to a commotion with the campaign team for her rival, Nasri Warsame. The ensuing mayhem led to the convention being disbanded with no endorsement being given. Minnesota Democratic leaders are holding an emergency meeting on Thursday to decide whether changes to the rules are required to manage disputes.
The North Carolina Senate Republicans have given their initial approval of a budget proposal on Wednesday that outlines a plan that differs on priorities, tax details and a host of policy prescriptions from the opposing House measure, despite spending the same amount. The Senate plan has been criticised by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and includes lacklustre pay raises for teachers and rank-and-file state employees, while the bill would lower individual income taxes and introduce new excise taxes on ride-sharing services, with proceeds going towards road maintenance.
The Nunavut government has declared a state of emergency in Kinngait (formerly known as Cape Dorset) due to an electrical issue at the community's water pumphouse limiting the distribution of treated water, resulting in depleted reserves that pose a risk to public health and infrastructure. The declaration will allow for an expedited response and greater authority to control public resources and will be in effect for 14 days. Kinngait is home to around 1,400 people.
An article in Nikkei Asia reports on a panel discussion hosted on 25 May by Nikkei Asia looking at the G-7 summit in Hiroshima which takes place this weekend, including the significance of the 2016 summit, the ongoing Ukraine war, tensions in the Taiwan Strait, prospects for the Asian members of the Global South, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, and international supply chains.
United Conservative Leader Danielle Smith has urged that LGBTQ rights become depoliticised, following criticism of a candidate’s negativity towards transgender children. Jennifer Johnson, who is standing for election as an MLA, apologised for her comparison of transgender children to the presence of feces in food. In a subsequent candidates’ debate, Smith, along with the Alberta Party Leader Barry Morishita and the NDP’s Gwendoline Dirk, opposed politicising the rights of LGBTQ children and adults. Topics for discussion at the debate, which focused on broaching differences of opinion, included healthcare, education, support for small businesses and corporate tax rates.
Philadelphia’s likely next mayor could offer model for how Democrats talk about crime
The Toronto Star
23-05-18 04:07
Cherelle Parker, who won Philadelphia's mayoral primary this week, called for increased police numbers and search policies as part of a tough law enforcement approach to counter a rise in the city's crime rate. These measures are viewed as being at odds with Philadelphia's progressive standing, and Parker's win highlights the difficulties that Democrats face in deciding how to approach violent crime. Parker claimed that investing in police and addressing wider societal problems was not “either/or", and that along with her backing for increased police numbers, there must be resources for fixing street lighting and investing in programs for at-risk youth.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed bills into law that prohibit gender-affirming care for under-18s, restrict school pronoun use and force people to use bathrooms corresponding with the sex they were assigned at birth. Drag show restrictions were also signed into law, allowing the revocation of food and drink licences of businesses hosting adult performances while admitting children. The legislation takes effect immediately. A total of at least 17 states have now passed laws prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors, despite opposition from medical groups and LGBTQ+ advocates, with judges blocking proposed laws in Alabama and Arkansas.
The blockbuster exhibition China’s Hidden Century, opening this week at the British Museum, places responsibility for the violence inflicted on 19th-century China on Britain and other foreign powers, while exuding admiration for China’s resilience and innovation. Exhibition organisers said their four-year research project involved over 100 scholars in 14 countries, and will “open a new page in public understanding of late imperial China”. Its 300 pieces, half of which have never been seen in public before, cover the Qing dynasty from 1796 to 1912, a period of great upheaval in China, ending when a revolution overthrew the last emperor. However, the exhibition walks a diplomatic tightrope; blame is unequivocally placed on foreign powers for provoking the Opium Wars and thereby sparking China’s traumatic “century of humiliation”, a myth central to the Communist Party’s legitimating narrative of China as a successful state. A reappraisal of 19th-century China threatens this narrative.
Olivia Chow, an NDP MP, is leading the polls in the upcoming Toronto mayoral election, due to be held on 26 June this year. If successful, she will be the first person of colour to take up the position. However, Chow was leading in the polls in the 2014 mayoral election, but finished a distant third behind the winner and runner-up. The campaign manager of her 2014 campaign, John Laschinger, has commented that Chow and her team failed to predict and react correctly to a series of events that hurt her campaign. For example, most of the anti-Ford voters turned to John Tory and Chow was target of “the most appalling racists, sexist and vulgar abuse” that Laschinger had ever seen in his life. In addition to this, many voters wanted a mayor who would control spending, but saw Chow as a “tax-and-spend socialist”. The 2023 election is similar to the 2014 race, but has much less time for trailing candidates to break out and there are no council seats available.
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was reported to have launched into a foul-mouthed tirade about French President Emmanuel Macron in reaction to his remarks about the UK’s handling of the Ukrainian refugee crisis after the Russian invasion. Mr Johnson called Mr Macron “Putin’s lickspittle” and allegedly demanded an “orgy of frog-bashing”. The comments were made after Mr Macron criticised the UK during an EU summit held weeks into the war. A spokesman for Mr Johnson stated that he did not recognise the account given by his former colleague.
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has praised £18bn of new Japanese investment in the country, calling it a "huge vote of confidence in the UK economy." Speaking to Tokyo business leaders, Sunak said British and Japanese businesses had a "long, proud history of partnership," adding that the opportunity for collaboration was "incredible." The investment will create "hundreds of good, well-paid jobs" with more to come as projects get underway, he said.
The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, has said that if he were to become prime minister, his government would pass legislation to ban repeat violent offenders from accessing bail. The announcement follows the introduction of new bail laws by the federal government aimed at making it more difficult for some repeat violent offences to gain release. However, experts believe Poilievre’s proposal is likely to be unconstitutional since it does not support the principle of giving accused suspects the opportunity to prove innocence.
The Canadian province of British Columbia has a government programme to trace owners of unclaimed sums that were formerly in old bank accounts, with government departments, or held as unclaimed court payments. BC Unclaimed, formerly known as the BC Unclaimed Property Society, is responsible for connecting abandoned or forgotten funds with their rightful owners. However, the society faces scepticism, with concerns that its letters are scams. Despite any doubts, it might be worth searching the society's online database to see if you could be owed the $190m of unclaimed money in British Columbia.
Obesity is on the rise in Britain, with two in three adults being considered overweight or obese. The NHS is dealing with the consequences of bad lifestyle choices with treatments for conditions related to obesity such as heart attacks, diabetes, cancers and other issues. The government can enable positive change through more awareness, increased activity, and improved diet, including spending money on parks, gyms, pools and pitches in every town in Britain. Meanwhile, well-supported food education classes, teaching children about what they eat and how to prepare it, could also have a significant impact.
