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☆ Teen hands himself into police after attack on German politician
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Stephanie Halasz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A 17-year-old boy handed himself in to police after admitting that he attacked a German politician on Friday. The SPD Saxony branch blamed the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the violence. “Yesterday our top candidate for the European elections Matthias Ecke was attacked while he was installing posters and seriously injured. The seeds sown by the AfD and other right-wing extremists are sprouting,” SPD Saxony said on X Saturday. We must stand together against them.”“I wish Matthias Ecke a speedy recovery,” Scholz said.

Persons: Matthias Ecke, –, Greens Party –, Jörg, Urban, ” Olaf Scholz, ”, ” Scholz, Ecke Organizations: CNN, Friday, Police, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Saxony Police, SPD, Greens Party, CNN’s, ntv Locations: German, Saxony, Dresden, Germany, Eastern States, “

☆ Australia unveils plan for largest navy buildup since World War II
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Australia on Tuesday announced plans to build its largest navy since World War II, allocating more than $35 billion for the defense project over the next 10 years, in a move analysts said pointed to heightened tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific. The independent review noted Australia had “the oldest fleet Navy has operated in its history,” according to the government statement. John Bradford, Council on Foreign Relations international affairs fellow, said Australia would need to be steadfast in sticking with the plan. “This investment provides a clear pathway for the shipbuilding industry and workforce in South Australia and Western Australia,” the release said. However, the opposition Greens party called the plan a “multi-billion-dollar mistake” driven by local political concerns to protect shipbuilding jobs – and political ones.

Persons: ”, Mark Hammond, Collin Koh, ” Jennifer Parker, Parker, John Bradford, Bradford, Andrew Hastie, ” Hastie, that’s, ” Koh, Pat Conroy, Sen, David Shoebridge, CNN’s Angus Watson, Hilary Whiteman Organizations: CNN, Australia, Royal Australian Navy, US Navy, Navy, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, UNSW Canberra, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC, Hobart, Foreign Relations, Greens, ” Greens Locations: China, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, South, Northeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Spain, Australian, South Australia, Western Australia

☆ Australia could soon allow workers to ignore office calls and emails outside contracted hours
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Australia's Senate passed a new bill on Thursday giving employees the "right to disconnect" after work. The bill allows workers to ignore unreasonable calls and emails from their bosses once they've clocked out. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAustralia's Senate passed a bill on Thursday giving employees the "right to disconnect" after work and ignore emails and calls from their bosses during their personal time.

Persons: they've, — Organizations: Service, Australia's, Australian Greens, Business Locations: Australia's, Australia

☆ EU Commission unveils a plan to slash emissions by 90%. Can it deliver?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Angela Dewan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The announcement will kick off months of talks that could take up to a year before the European Parliament rubber stamps the target. The European Greens — a faction of environmentally conscious lawmakers from several countries — are expecting big losses in the vote, after making sweeping gains in the 2019 election. “We’re looking at a European Parliament that is more in favor of regulatory freedom for member states,” Dufour said. The Greens had been successful in achieving a strong climate agenda through the EU parliament, he added. She said new conservative or even far-right lawmakers may also back some ambitious climate policies because so many make sense in terms of economics and security, as well.

Persons: —, Wopke Hoekstra, Andreas Solaro, Manon Dufour, ” Dufour, Dufour, Bas Eickhout, ”, Eickhout, Olivier Chassignole, ” Eickhout, I’m, Linda Kalcher, Kalcher Organizations: CNN, European Commission, EU, Parliament, European Greens —, Getty, Conservative, European People’s Party, EPP, Deal, European Greens, Greens, European Greens Party, ”, Green Locations: Lugo , Italy, AFP, Brussels, Bas, Dutch, Lyon, France, Brussel, Ukraine

☆ Australia's Greens to investigate supermarket 'price gouging'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People walk past a Woolworths supermarket following the easing of restrictions implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, June 16, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Australia's Greens party said on Sunday it would lead a parliamentary inquiry into "price gouging" by major supermarkets as the country grapples with high costs of living. "It will also assess the rise in essential item prices, the validity of discounts offered, and the inflation of profits during economic hardship," added McKim, accusing supermarkets of "price gouging" during "Australia's cost of living crisis". "Construction costs, energy prices, the cost of logistics and packaging have all risen", the spokesperson said. A Woolworths spokesperson said the company was "working to deliver relief" on grocery bills.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Nick McKim, McKim, Competition Andrew Leigh, Leigh, Sam McKeith, Lincoln Organizations: Woolworths, REUTERS, Rights, Australia's Greens, Greens, Coles, Competition, Labor, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

A constitutional court ruling on Nov. 15 against a budget manoeuvre to get around Germany's "debt brake" threw the financial plans of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition into disarray. "As I have long been saying, we must fear that the debt brake becomes ever more a brake on the future," said Berlin mayor Kai Wegner on social media platform X. "The debt brake was implemented when Europe had a debt sustainability issue and Germany wanted to lead by example," he said. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match," he said. The Greens' campaign programme ahead of the last election included debt brake reform to allow for greater investments.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Reiner Haseloff, Haseloff, Kai Wegner, Friedrich Merz, Carsten Brzeski, Roderich Kiesewetter, Stefan Marschall, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Matthias Williams, Holger Hansen, Nick Macfie Organizations: Climate, Finance, BERLIN, U.S, Intel, Reuters, AAA, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Christian Social Union, CSU, Berlin, Free Democrats, Social Democrats, Greens, ING, SPD, University of Duesseldorf, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Europe's, Ukraine, Saxony, Anhalt, United States, Bavarian, Federal, Germany, Europe, France, Italy, Spain, China

☆ Support for Germany's Greens falls amid budget crisis, poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Germany's Greens party co-leaders Omid Nouripour, Ricarda Lan, German Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock applause during the 49th Greens party convention in Rheinstetten, near Karlsruhe, Germany, November 25, 2023. REUTERS/Wolfgang... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreFRANKFURT, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The Green Party's popularity with voters has fallen to its lowest in over five years, a poll showed on Sunday, as Germany's coalition government grapples with a big hole in its budget. A weekly poll conducted by the INSA institute for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed 73% of respondents were dissatisfied with the federal government. "The coalition falls to 34%, 18 percentage points less than in the 2021 federal election," said INSA's head Hermann Binkert. "At the moment it does not look like the SPD or the Greens will be able to lead the government after the 2025 general election."

Persons: Omid Nouripour, Ricarda Lan, Robert Habeck, Annalena, Wolfgang, Annalena Baerbock, Hermann Binkert, Olaf Scholz, Emma, Victoria Farr, Christina Fincher Organizations: Germany's Greens, Climate, German, 49th Greens, REUTERS, The Greens, Social Democrats, Free Democrats, SPD, Greens, CDU, CSU, Thomson Locations: German, Rheinstetten, Karlsruhe, Germany, FRANKFURT

The court ruling has called into question Germany's traditionally strict fiscal policy and sparked warnings that German companies could be starved of support to keep them globally competitive. HANDS TIEDThe crisis has sparked calls for reforming the debt brake. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match," he said. A poll by broadcaster ZDF suggested only a minority of Germans supported suspending the debt brake. Some 57% wanted the budget shortfall from the court ruling to be covered by spending cuts, 11% favoured tax increases and 23% wanted the state to take on additional debt.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Christian Lindner, Scholz, Lindner, Habeck, Steffen Hebestreit, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Miranda Murray, Rene Wagner, Matthias Williams, Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones, Deepa Babington Organizations: Climate, Finance, BERLIN, Greens, Social Democrats, Free Democrats, FDP, ZDF, Thomson Locations: Germany, Europe's, East Germany, China

Lindner plans to lift self-imposed limits on borrowing and present a supplementary budget next week after a constitutional court ruling wiped billions from the federal budget and forced the government to freeze most new spending commitments. HANDS TIED IN A BOXING MATCHThe crisis has sparked calls for reforming the debt brake. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match. A poll by the broadcaster ZDF suggested only a minority of Germans, 35%, supported suspending the debt brake however, compared to 61% wanting it to stay in place. Some 57% wanted the budget shortfall from the court ruling to be covered by spending cuts, 11% favoured tax increases and 23% wanted the state to take on additional debt.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Lindner, hawkish Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Thomas Gitzel, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Miranda Murray, Rene Wagner, Matthias Williams, Toby Chopra Organizations: BERLIN, German Finance, Greens, ZDF, Bank, Thomson Locations: Germany, China, Europe

The court ruling has called into question Germany's traditionally strict fiscal policy and sparked warnings that German companies could be starved of support to keep them globally competitive. The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008/09, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. HANDS TIEDThe crisis has sparked calls for reforming the debt brake. "With the debt brake as it is, we have voluntarily tied our hands behind our backs and are going into a boxing match," he said. A poll by broadcaster ZDF suggested only a minority of Germans supported suspending the debt brake.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Fabrizio Bensch, Scholz, Olaf Scholz, Lindner, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Steffen Hebestreit, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Miranda Murray, Rene Wagner, Matthias Williams, Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, BERLIN, Finance, Greens, ZDF, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Europe's, East Germany, China

☆ Germany freezes new spending commitments as budget woes deepen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Holger Hansen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks next to Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck during a hearing at Germany’s lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2023. The finance ministry has frozen future spending pledges across almost the entire federal budget, a letter by the budget state secretary showed, in a sign of how seriously it was taking the potential fallout to its finances. "The step reflects the necessity of the situation," an economy ministry spokesperson said about the budget freeze. That could include planned chip factories, the expansion of the battery supply chain and the decarbonisation of steel, government sources said on Monday. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke; writing by Matthias Williams and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Freeze, Olaf Scholz's, Kevin Kuehnert, that's, Kuehnert, Volker Wissing, Wissing, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, BERLIN, Free Democrats, Democrats, CDU, Scholz's Social Democrats, Greens, Digital, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

The economy and finance ministry declined immediate comment. "So the ruling could have a negative impact on economic growth," the source added. Last month, the economy ministry predicted 1.3% growth for next year. Although the Greens want additional spending, the Free Democrats (FDP), which heads the finance ministry, reject additional debt and higher taxes. "There is a clear political decision in favour of Intel and nothing has changed yet," said an economy ministry spokesperson on Friday.

Persons: Liesa, Olaf Scholz's, Christian Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Joerg Kraemer, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Friedrich Merz, Christian Haase, Commerzbank's Kraemer, Maria Martinez, Andreas Rinke, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Madeline Chambers, Matthias Williams, Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thursday, Greens, Free Democrats, Transformation, Intel, U.S, Christian Democratic Union, ESF, Economic, Stabilization, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Europe's

☆ Explainer-What Is Australia's Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Here's what you need to know about Australia's Voice to Parliament campaign:WHO ARE AUSTRALIA'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLE? Australia's Indigenous population plummeted after British colonisation began in 1788 as they were dispossessed of their land, exposed to new diseases, forced to work in slave-like conditions, and killed by colonisers. The country also created Maori seats in parliament, allowing the Indigenous population to choose to vote for candidates for these seats or participate in the general election. HOW DID THE VOICE REFERENDUM COME ABOUT? In 2022, Labor's Anthony Albanese became prime minister and said Australians would have their say in a referendum to include an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

Persons: Praveen Menon SYDNEY, colonisers, Labor's Anthony Albanese, Lidia Thorpe, Praveen Menon, Alasdair Pal, Stephen Coates Organizations: WHO, Torres Strait, Nations, Te reo, Torres Strait Islander, Albanese's Labor Party, Greens, Independent, Green, Liberal Party, Party, Liberals, Nationals Locations: Australia, Canada, Waitangi, Uluru, New Zealand, Sydney

China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied” with Baerbock’s comments and “firmly opposes” them. “The remarks made by Germany are extremely absurd, seriously infringe on China’s political dignity, and are an open political provocation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing on Monday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry often leaves out content it deems sensitive from the transcripts of its regular briefings. In June, US President Joe Biden also referred to Xi as a “dictator,” sparking a fierce backlash from Beijing. As a result of this and China’s political decisions, we need to change our approach to China,” the paper said.

Persons: Xi, ”, Berlin’s, Annalena Baerbock, “, Putin, Germany’s, Patricia Flor, Mao Ning, Xi –, Joe Biden, Jiang Zemin, Mike Wallace, Jiang, Deng Xiaoping, Mao Zedong’s, Angela Merkel, Baerbock Organizations: CNN, Fox News, China’s, Ministry, Chinese Foreign Ministry, CBS, South China, Germany’s Greens Locations: China, Germany, United States, Ukraine, Beijing, Berlin, Moscow, Taiwan, South, “ China, Australian

It follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow's cheap natural gas — an unprecedented shock to Germany’s energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe. The loss of cheap Russian natural gas needed to power factories “painfully damaged the business model of the German economy,” Kullmann told The Associated Press. One hotly debated solution: a government-funded cap on industrial electricity prices to get the economy through the renewable energy transition. However, squabbling among the coalition government over the energy price cap and a law barring new gas furnaces has exasperated business leaders. “The perception of Germany's underlying strength may also have contributed to the misguided decisions to exit nuclear energy, ban fracking for natural gas and bet on ample natural gas supplies from Russia,” he said.

Persons: “, Christian Kullmann, Kullmann, ” Kullmann, Evonik, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, —, Biden, Scholz, Evonik's Kullmann, Gerhard Schroeder, Holger Schmieding, ”, ” Schmieding, Schmieding Organizations: Jobs, International Monetary Fund, European Union, Evonik Industries, Associated Press, Greens Party, Social Democrat, Free Democrats, Companies, Schott AG, ” Locations: ESSEN, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, Europe's, Essen, Russia, Moscow, China, Bavarian, U.S, Lafayette , Indiana, Brussels, Berlin, Chile, Qatar, ” Germany, Berenberg

The parliamentary deadlock revolves around the centre-left Labor government's A$10 billion ($6.7 billion) housing package, which The Greens party is refusing to pass through the upper house without changes to increase spending and cap rents. Governments can dissolve both houses of parliament if the upper house twice blocks a bill passed by the lower house. The Greens in June voted with the opposition centre-right Liberal Party to delay the housing bill. Speaking on Monday as parliament resumed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he preferred the bill passed the Senate but if it did not, the trigger for a double-dissolution election could focus attention on the policy. "What it does is mean that can be a focus, and then you have a joint sitting after a double-dissolution election is held."

Persons: Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, Lewis Jackson, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Labor, Greens, Liberal Party, ABC, Thomson Locations: Australia

SYDNEY, June 26 (Reuters) - Australian lawmakers will ask for more details about PwC staff involved in the leak of government tax plans when acting head Kristin Stubbins appears before a state parliament on Monday, her first public appearance since her predecessor stepped down over the scandal. But there were still many unanswered questions, inquiry chair and Greens party lawmaker Abigail Boyd said on Sunday. "(The sale) seems like a really good way to avoid scrutiny," she told Reuters on Sunday. "Look we've taken action, we've sold off the business, we've got a new person in, everything is fine. She will remain in the role until Kevin Burrowes, currently Global Clients & Industries lead based in Singapore, relocates to Australia for the job.

Persons: Kristin Stubbins, Stubbins, Abigail Boyd, we've, Boyd, David Seymour, Kevin Burrowes, Lewis Jackson, Diane Craft Organizations: SYDNEY, Global, Industries, Thomson Locations: New South Wales, NSW, Singapore, Australia

☆ Meet an Australian millennial with $7,000 in student debt who says paying off the balance 'is not my priority at this point' — but it could soon start growing at a faster rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Olivia Fitzpatrick, 29, has $7,000 in student debt in Australia, but she's not too worried about it. Olivia Fitzpatrick, 29, has just over 10,000 Australian dollars, or about $6,790, in student debt — and even as a financial educator on social media, it's not a concern for her. If I started earning significantly more over the next year, I would consider paying off the debt just for the feeling of having no student debt and also more cash flow from working." She said she doesn't have any regrets about taking on student loans because it was a "great return on investment" for her. This is a dilemma American student-loan borrowers are all too familiar with.

Persons: Olivia Fitzpatrick, she's, —, hasn't, it's, Fitzpatrick, Joe Biden's, Mehreen Organizations: Service, Higher, Higher Education Loan Program, Guardian, Greens Locations: Australia, Melbourne, America, New South Wales

☆ Germany to offer aid only to strategic sectors after Intel subsidy -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 21 (Reuters) - Germany will promote specific projects in strategic industries after agreeing subsidies worth nearly 10 billion euros with Intel this week as the U.S. chipmaker said it would invest $33 billion in Germany, a minister said on Wednesday. "There will be no funding for everyone, but only for selected projects," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens party which shares power with Scholz's Social Democrats and the FDP Free Democrats. "They will be everywhere in future," he said at an event in Berlin, adding that the Intel subsidies were therefore an investment in economic security. Other sectors being closely watched by the government included medicine, telecommunications, energy, logistics and transport, food and security services, he said. The economy ministry said earlier that the European Commission has yet to approve Berlin's subsidy plans for Intel.

Persons: chipmaker, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Christian Kraemer, Madeline Chambers, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Intel, Greens, Scholz's Social Democrats, FDP Free Democrats, European Commission, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Magdeburg, Berlin

☆ AUKUS nuclear submarine cost includes 50% fund for unexpected overruns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, April 28 (Reuters) - Australia's defence minister said on Friday the government was being "upfront and transparent" about the cost of its AUKUS nuclear submarine programme, after an analysis showed the forecast A$368 billion cost included a 50% contingency fund. The Greens party, which commissioned the analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Office, said it showed the "huge" uncertainty over the project. In a second phase, Australia and Britain will build an AUKUS class submarine, with Australia receiving its first submarine in the early 2040s. read moreAustralia's Parliamentary Budget Office has reported the cost estimate over three decades includes a contingency of A$123 billion. The report showed most of the cost of the submarine programme will be incurred in the two decades from 2033.

[1/5] A demonstrator takes part in a protest against the shut down of the last three German nuclear power plants, in Berlin, Germany, April 15, 2023. An estimated 50,000 protesters in Germany formed a 45-kilometre long (27-mile) human chain after the Fukushima disaster from Stuttgart to the Neckarwestheim Nuclear Power Plant. One of the long-running movement's early successes came in the 1970s when it managed to get plans for a nuclear plant in Wyhl in western Germany overturned. It was a Greens-coalition government that introduced the country's first nuclear phase-out law in 2002. "The nuclear phase-out is a Greens project ... and all parties have practically adopted it," said Rainer Klute, head of pro-nuclear non-profit association Nuklearia.

☆ Australia opposition says opposed to Indigenous body in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) - Australia's main opposition Liberal party said on Wednesday it would oppose setting up a consultative body in parliament that could advise lawmakers on matters affecting the country's Indigenous people. The move comes after the centre-left Labor government moved a bill last week to hold a national referendum, the first step towards enshrining an independent advisory body for Indigenous people in the constitution by setting up an Indigenous "Voice to Parliament". He said regional and local committees in Indigenous communities could be more effective than having a national body. Any constitutional alterations in Australia require a national referendum and to succeed, it requires a double majority. That means it requires a national majority of votes as well as a majority of votes in at least four of the six states.

☆ Australia passes tougher emissions reduction law that hits gas investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, March 30 (Reuters) - New rules that cap total Australian greenhouse gas emissions and curb some new gas and coal investments in the country will come into effect on 1 July after parliament passed an upgraded emissions reduction plan on Thursday. Negotiations with the Greens, who wanted a ban on all new fossil fuel investments, resulted in a law including a hard total emissions cap, ministerial review for projects that raise total emissions and compulsory disclosures for polluters that rely heavily on carbon offsets to meet their targets. Under the revised legislation, projects such as the massive Browse field that Woodside Energy (WDS.AX) wants to develop would have to have carbon capture and storage to achieve net zero. The legislation also requires all new gas projects in the Beetaloo Basin to have net zero carbon emissions and new gas fields supplying existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants to have net zero reservoir emissions, imposing new costs. Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The fact that Charles had picked France and Germany for his first state visit, even before his coronation in May, was an important "European gesture", said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who greeted Charles and his wife Queen Consort Camilla in Berlin. "Today, exactly six years after Britain started its exit from the European Union, we are opening a new chapter in our relations," Steinmeier said. [1/14] Britain's King Charles III and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier review an honor guard during a ceremonial welcome at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, on March 29, 2023. Steinmeier said he had invited Charles to visit Germany at Elizabeth's funeral last September. However, any warmer relations with Europe brought about by the visit could cool if other post-Brexit issues flare up.

☆ Australia govt introduces Indigenous referendum bill in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Introducing the bill in parliament, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the referendum, to be held between October and December, would be an opportunity to acknowledge history and help Australians come together "for a more reconciled future." The main opposition Liberal party has not yet decided if it would support the proposed constitutional amendments but its junior coalition partner, the rural-based National Party, has said it would oppose them. A Guardian poll last week showed public support for the referendum was down 5% but was still backed by a majority, with 59% in favour. Any constitutional alterations in Australia require a national referendum. To succeed a referendum requires a national majority of votes as well as a majority of votes in at least four of the six states.

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