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☆ 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.

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro says he will not lead opposition, but will work with his party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRASILIA, March 29 (Reuters) - Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday he will not lead the opposition to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but will collaborate with his political party, the conservative Liberal Party. "I will not lead any opposition. I will help my party as a person with experience," he said. Bolsonaro added he plans to travel across Brazil in an effort to help his party in local elections next year. Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Sarah Morland and Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trudeau's TikTok ban to curb social media reach of opposition leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Jenna Zucker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The leaders of the two biggest opposition parties - Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre and New Democratic party leader Jagmeet Singh - are among politicians who actively used TikTok to reach constituents. That prompted lawmakers from both the ruling Liberals and opposition Conservatives to go even further by suspending their accounts on TikTok. "Any limitation on social media is a problem for any opposition politician," Nik Nanos of Nanos Research told Reuters, saying they do not have the incumbent advantage of being featured regularly on more traditional media outlets. Singh also told reporters that taking a pause to assess how to safely use the social media platform is "something that I feel very comfortable doing and I have no hesitation to do." Poilievre - who has styled himself as an anti-establishment figure - has relied on a strategy of directly reaching voters through social media platforms such as TikTok, where he frequently attacks opponents and makes parody videos.

☆ Canada's Trudeau denies report that Liberals told to drop candidate over China ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese government preferred Han Dong, a Chinese Canadian, over another Chinese Canadian Liberal, who was passed over in favor of Han, said Global News, a national broadcaster, citing anonymous security sources in a story posted online. The article said the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) urged Trudeau's "team" to rescind Han's candidacy. "Dong is an outstanding member of our team and suggestions that he is somehow not loyal to Canada should not be entertained," Trudeau told a news conference in Mississauga. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the Global report. Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Alistair Bell and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia plans to limit early access to retirement funds, cut tax breaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Australia's centre-left government said on Thursday it would push ahead with plans to change superannuation rules, including restricting early access to funds until retirement and limiting tax breaks for high-earners. Jones said restricting early access to funds is "fundamental" as it supported retirement incomes. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers estimates tax breaks on superannuation will cost the budget more than pension by 2050. Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor told Sky News the savings of Australians were "not a piggy bank for the government to tax and spend." The chief of Australia's biggest pension fund, AustralianSuper, in November warned against government efforts to tap into retirement savings worldwide.

☆ Explainer: What is Australia's Indigenous 'Voice to Parliament' campaign?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Praveen Menon | ) www.reuters.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? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Indigenous people of Australia. Australia's Indigenous population shrank after the British colonisation in 1788 as they were dispossessed of their land, exposed to new diseases, forced to work in slave-like conditions, and killed by colonisers. New Zealand 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?

Sydney/Hong Kong CNN —Australia’s defense ministry will remove Chinese-made cameras from its offices over spying concerns, the country’s Minister for Defence Richard Marles has said. The concerns were raised by Senator James Paterson of the opposition Liberal Party, who said Wednesday that he had conducted an “audit” of Chinese-made security devices in use on Australian government premises. The audit found 913 devices, including cameras, access control systems and intercoms, made by Chinese-state owned enterprises Hikvision and Dahua, Paterson noted. “These companies have a very close relationship with the Chinese Communist Party, and they are subject to China’s National Intelligence laws, which require all Chinese companies and individuals to secretly cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies if requested,” Paterson said in a radio interview Wednesday. And where those particular cameras are found they’re going to be removed.”Asked about the Australian government’s concerns over Chinese-made cameras, a spokesperson for Beijing’s foreign affairs ministry said China opposes “generalizing national security, abuse of state power and acts that discriminate and suppress Chinese companies.”

☆ Australia PM pushes for bipartisan support on Indigenous referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will push for bipartisan support on a referendum that aims to set up an Indigenous consultative committee in parliament, when it meets on Monday for the first time this year. The landmark referendum, to be held later this year, will establish an Indigenous "Voice", that can make representations to parliament on policies affecting them. If passed, that would add language to its constitution - which cannot be amended without a referendum - to recognise Australia's Indigenous citizens for the first time. "It might just make some people's lives, some of the most disadvantaged people in our country, their lives better." The federal opposition Liberal Party has not yet backed the referendum but a group, which includes some prominent Indigenous Australians and lawmakers, have launched a campaign against it.

☆ Brazil senator says he attended election conspiracy meeting with Bolsonaro
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Ricardo Brito | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRASILIA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A Brazilian senator said on Thursday that a close ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro tried to persuade the senator to join a conspiracy to overturn the far-right leader's electoral loss last year. Senator Marcos do Val told a news conference that he had been invited to a meeting on Dec. 9 with then-President Bolsonaro by his associate, former lawmaker Daniel Silveira. At the meeting, Silveira asked the senator to try to get the head of the electoral court to make compromising comments in a taped conversation that could lead to the judge's arrest, Val said. The senator told reporters that Bolsonaro "sat in silence" while Silveira laid out the plot against Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a Supreme Court judge running Brazil's top electoral authority (TSE). Silveira told the former president that Val, a Bolsonaro supporter, could be trusted and asked Bolsonaro to present "the idea that would save Brazil" to him, according to the Veja report.

SYDNEY, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Australia will replace the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on its A$5 banknote with a new design to reflect and honour the history of its Indigenous culture, the country's central bank said on Thursday. The decision follows consultation with the federal government, which supports the change, the Reserve Bank of Australia said in a statement. The Reserve Bank said it would consult with Indigenous groups in designing the A$5 banknote. The A$5 banknote is the only Australian banknote to carry the image of the Queen. Australian coins are mandated to carry the image of the British monarch and new coins will have the effigy of King Charles.

☆ Canada Looks Poised to Pass Law on Forced Labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Canada could require that companies report on their efforts to stop goods made with forced labor from entering their supply chains, adding to momentum among Western governments to tackle the practice. Pending legislation would compel many companies to report on steps taken to prevent or reduce the use of forced labor in their supply chains by detailing, among other things, parts of the supply chains where forced labor might be occurring and the company’s due-diligence procedures. We are consuming products that contain forced labor.”With the passage of S-211, Canada would join several other Western governments in trying to stop businesses’ use of forced labor. Canada’s legislation would apply more broadly than, for example, France’s law, having an impact on some companies with as few as 250 employees. Photo: AssentCanada pledged in the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which became effective in 2020, to block the import of goods made with forced labor.

BRASILIA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The leader of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro's political party said on Wednesday that any member identified in videos taking part in the ransacking of government buildings on Sunday would be immediately expelled from the party. Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the right-wing Liberal Party, said his party, the largest in Brazil's Congress, condemned the rampage on Sunday in which Bolsonaro supporters vandalized the Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace. While the PL party has recognized the election result, Bolsonaro has suggested without any evidence that the election was stolen by manipulating Brazil's electronic voting system. Bolsonaro, whose nationalist populism sharply polarized Brazil's electorate during his four-year term, has been named honorary president of the PL. He and his wife Michelle Bolsonaro will have offices at party headquarters with paid salaries.

☆ Exclusive: Paraguay election race puts Taiwan ties on a knife-edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Paraguay is one of only 14 nations globally that retains diplomatic ties with Taiwan and the only South American country to do so. "Paraguay must have relations with China," Alegre said in a recent interview after being named presidential candidate. "We hold this critical position towards relations with Taiwan because we don't think we get enough back from this relationship." Santiago Pena, the Colorado Party candidate, said Paraguay's over six decades of ties with Taiwan would remain intact if he won the April 30 vote. "What we produce is enough for a neighborhood in a city in China, but what interests (Beijing) is us breaking ties with Taiwan.

Leaving parliament on Saturday, Rabuka told waiting media he was humbled to have become the prime minister of Fiji before being rushed away to be sworn in by the country's president. Biman Prasad, leader of the NFP and the new finance minister, said the incoming government would work for the Fijian people. The prime ministers of both New Zealand and Australia released statements to congratulate the newly sworn-in Rabuka. "We strongly value Fiji as a close friend and partner as we progress our shared priorities for the region," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. Anthony Albanese, Australia's prime minister, added in a tweet that he also looked forward to working with Rabuka.

☆ Fiji’s king maker party SODELPA votes to support opposition coalition
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SYDNEY, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Fiji's Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) said on Friday that it would form a coalition with two other parties, a move that will dislodge current Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. "We believe we have agreed on a way forward that benefits this country," party leader Viliame Gavoka said in a news conference after an internal party vote. The Pacific island nation's military was called in on Thursday to help police maintain law and order. read moreReporting by Kirsty Needham and Lucy Craymer; writing by Praveen Menon; editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama's Fiji First has not conceded defeat, while a coalition of three parties say they have a combined majority and have agreed on People's Alliance leader Sitiveni Rabuka as prime minister. In a statement on Facebook, Bainimarama said the military "has been deployed to complement the Police in maintaining law and order". Bainimarama has been prime minister for 16 years, taking power in a coup, and later winning two democratic elections in 2014 and 2018. New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand was "aware of the statement from Fiji's Police Commissioner". The prime minister must be voted in by more than 50% of lawmakers on the parliament floor.

WELLINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Fiji's Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is due to meet on Friday to decide if its decision to form a coalition with the opposition stands, a move that comes after the Pacific country's military was called in to help police maintain law and order. Fiji is waiting for its president to recall parliament so lawmakers can vote for a new prime minister after a national election last week showed no party received a clear majority. SODELPA, a power-broker holding three seats in the hung parliament, supports policies favouring indigenous Fijians, and on Tuesday signed a coalition agreement with the People's Alliance and the National Federation Party. However, the SODELPA's board is to meet again on Friday, after the validity of the decision to back the coalition was challenged by the party's general secretary and Fiji's Supervisor of Elections. However, opposition parties accuse Bainimarama and his allies of stoking fears of ethnic trouble as a pretext to cling to power.

SYDNEY, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Fiji's parliament has delayed its first sitting, where it had been expected a new prime minister would be sworn in to the Pacific islands nation for the first time in 16 years. People's Alliance leader Sitiveni Rabuka is expected to become prime minister, after three parties signed a coalition agreement on Tuesday after a hung election. The deal would dislodge Fiji First's Frank Bainimarama, who has led Fiji since a 2006 coup. read moreThe constitution requires lawmakers to elect the prime minister from the parliament floor if no one party has won more than 50% of seats. On Wednesday morning New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand was yet to congratulate Rabuka as it waited until the "dust settles and there is finality over processes".

☆ Danish PM picks right-leaning rivals as key ministers in new government
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Denmark's Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday appointed right-leaning political rivals as key ministers in her new reform-oriented bipartisan government. Opposition leader Jakob Ellemann-Jensen of the Liberal Party was appointed deputy prime minister and defence minister, while former prime minister and leader of the newly formed Moderates party, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, was appointed foreign minister. Nicolai Wammen of the Social Democratic Party retained his role as finance minister. Outgoing climate minister Dan Jorgensen will now head a new ministry for development cooperation and global climate policy. Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Nikolaj Skydsgaard; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fact Check-Bolsonaro did not ‘annul’ Brazil’s election and the military did not find evidence of ‘fraud’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brazil’s electoral court certified president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s win on Dec. 12, 2022, contrary to claims that the election was fraudulent and annulled by President Jair Bolsonaro. There is no evidence that Bolsonaro has annulled the election results or has the power to do so, however. The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) is the highest body of the electoral system. Reuters previously debunked similar claims about Brazil’s presidential election (here) and fact checks misinformation in Brazil in Portuguese (here). Brazil’s supreme electoral court, who has power to annul elections in the country, certified the results of this year’s general election.

☆ Australia's Albanese wins industrial relations vote, tougher challenges ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Australia's parliament passed legislation on Friday to reform industrial relations laws, boosting the ability of unions to negotiate with multiple employers and scrapping a construction industry watchdog. The Opposition Liberal party said it would lead to more strikes. "Businesses don't want the ideology," she said, referring to the traditional battlelines drawn between Labor, with its trade union power base, and the Liberal party, over industrial relations. The legislation passed the upper house with the support of the Greens, who said they won amendments from the government to improve parental leave that would benefit women. Legislation for a national Anti-Corruption Commission, a measure to re-establish public trust in politics, passed on Wednesday.

☆ Trump aides are helping Brazil's president to dispute the results of the election he just lost. It's going terribly.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump allies met aides to defeated Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, The Washington Post reported. But a legal challenge to the election by Bolsonaro's party was met with a hefty fine. [The movement] has moved beyond the Bolsonaro's in the way that in the U.S. it has moved beyond Trump." Bolsonaro's supporters have held protests since his defeat, blocking roads and calling for the army to intervene to stop Lula from taking office. Trump and Bolsonaro were close allies during their time in office, with both championing a brash style of right-wing populism.

The complaint was met with skepticism by election authorities and other political figures who have recognized Lula's victory. The head of Brazil's Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, said the election result was "unquestionable," while the center-right Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) called Bolsonaro's challenge "senseless." When the PSDB challenged the result of the 2014 presidential election, the investigation took one year and no irregularities were found. Vice President Hamilton Mourao, on a trip to Portugal, acknowledged on Wednesday that Bolsonaro's challenge was unlikely to succeed but said Brazil's electoral process needed more "transparency." Analyst Andre Cesar at Hold Legislativa consultancy said, however, that the challenge would provide ammunition for an ongoing protest movement of Bolsonaro's hardcore supporters.

☆ Bolsonaro contests Brazil election, demands votes be anulled
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Neither explained how that might have affected election results, but said they were asking the electoral authority to invalidate all votes cast on those machines. Diego Aranha, an associate professor of systems security at Aarhus University in Denmark, who has participated in official security tests of Brazil’s electoral system, agreed. Bolsonaro spent more than a year claiming Brazil’s electronic voting system is prone to fraud, without ever presenting evidence. Brazil began using an electronic voting system in 1996 and election security experts consider such systems less secure than hand-marked paper ballots, because they leave no auditable paper trail. But Brazil’s system has been closely scrutinized by domestic and international experts who have never found evidence of it being exploited to commit fraud.

☆ Bao Tong, Former Reformist Official and Critic of China’s Leader Xi, Dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Chun Han Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bao Tong had remained a prominent figure within liberal party circles in the decades since his political fall from grace. A photo of the former Communist Party official from 2014. Bao Tong , a senior Communist Party official who became one of China’s most outspoken dissidents after his purge during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and later emerged as a vocal critic of Chinese leader Xi Jinping ’s autocratic rule, died Wednesday. Mr. Bao, who had been living in Beijing, died peacefully at around 7 a.m., according to a post published on his son Bao Pu’s Twitter account. The younger Mr. Bao couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

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