Australia to deliver 2024 budget as it battles worsening housing crisis, rising cost of living - CNA

MAIN GOAL: TO LOWER INFLATION

Lowering inflation, which is currently at 3.6 per cent, has become the government’s all-consuming goal.

Wages have also not been keeping up with the pace of inflation, and the job market is showing signs of weakening.

Economist Chris Richardson from Rich Insight told CNA: “It’s a really tricky time. Basically, inflation is the everything of the budget - it has not come down as fast as the central bank would like.”

Nevertheless, Mr Richardson said the government must be careful “not to poke the inflationary bear” and not to “add too much extra money into the economy”.

While Australia’s Reserve Bank has decided to keep interest rates on hold for the moment, growing global uncertainty and a huge increase in immigration, is only adding to the country’s woes.

Close to 548,000 immigrants arrived in the 12 months leading up to September last year, and 105,000 arrived this February alone. 

Many are international students seeking rental accommodation, while others are short and long-term visa holders.

The government aims to cut arrivals by 50 per cent to ease the severe accommodation shortage.

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2024-05-14 01:54:54Z
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Former fixer Cohen testifies Trump told him to pay hush money - CNA

Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to the reimbursement. Prosecutors say the altered records covered up election-law and tax-law violations - since the money was essentially an unreported contribution to Trump's campaign - that elevate the crimes from misdemeanours to felonies punishable by up to four years in prison.

Trump, who is running against Democratic President Joe Biden in November has pleaded not guilty and denies having had a sexual encounter with Daniels, who testified last week. He argues the case is a politically motivated attempt to interfere with his campaign to take back the White House.

Trump's defence has suggested the payment to Daniels was meant to protect his family from embarrassment. But Cohen testified that Trump appeared solely concerned with the effect on his campaign.

"He wasn't thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign," Cohen said, referring to Trump's wife. At the defence table, Trump shook his head.

Cohen said Trump urged him to delay sending payment to Daniels' lawyer until after the election, telling him that the story would no longer matter.

Trump's lawyers have argued that Cohen acted on his own, a notion he rejected on the witness stand.

"YOU'LL GET THE MONEY BACK"

"Everything required Mr. Trump's sign-off," Cohen said. He said he resisted paying out of his own pocket but eventually relented after Trump promised him, "You'll get the money back."

Offering a detailed timeline of the chaotic days during the campaign's final weeks, Cohen described how he set up a shell company - falsely listed as a "real estate consulting company" - to facilitate the payment through a bank across the street from Trump Tower.

Prosecutors showed phone records to jurors indicating that Cohen called Trump's line twice on the morning he visited the bank.

The Manhattan trial is widely seen as less consequential than three other criminal prosecutions Trump faces, all of which are mired in delays.

The other cases charge Trump with trying to overturn his 2020 presidential defeat and mishandling classified documents after leaving office. Trump pleaded not guilty to all three.

Trump, who is on trial while also campaigning to avenge his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden, could still stand in the November election and be sworn in as president if he were to be convicted and even jailed.

Trump's son Eric, who was joined in court by Senator JD Vance, a contender for Trump's vice presidential pick, tweeted he had "never seen anything more rehearsed" than Cohen's testimony.

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2024-05-13 21:37:47Z
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From homemakers to kingmakers: Battle to win over India's women voters in the world's biggest election - CNA

UNDERLYING PATRIARCHAL CULTURE

Yet, the image of a fairer and more equitable Indian society is often challenged by shocking incidents reflecting the country’s deep-rooted patriarchy.

Various politicians across party lines have been accused of sexual assault.

In one incident last year, India’s female Olympic wrestlers accused the then-wrestling federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP Member of Parliament, of sexual assault. But their pleas for action have allegedly fallen on deaf ears. 

Police detained the athletes during their attempt to march towards the new parliament building while Mr Modi was inaugurating it last May. 

Observers said that in Indian elections, women issues seem to get less attention than religion, temple politics and minorities.

But Ms Vanathi Srinivasan, president of the BJP’s women’s wing, said Mr Modi has forced some change and turned the attention to Indian women. 

“After BJP came to power in 2014, every political party is very keen on attracting the women voters,” she added.

“So now, slowly the political parties are moving towards the women electorate … who have not been given the proper attention. It is an ongoing process.”

Psephologist Yashwant Deshmukh, founder and director of polling agency Centre for Voting Opinion and Trends in Election Research, said that politicians are “going all out” to get the female vote by “announcing one scheme after the other”.

“Law and order, harassment, rape - all these are becoming huge issues now,” he added.

“Even though the issues which are directly related to the female vote are not being talked about much in the media, as far as politicians are concerned, I think they are very clear that this is the biggest vote bank they need to address.”

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2024-05-13 09:06:06Z
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Chinese tourist dies in Hong Kong after fall off cliff on landmark Lion Rock - Bangkok Post

PUBLISHED : 13 May 2024 at 10:36

Hong Kong’s Lion Rock, where a tourist died on Sunday after falling from a cliff. (Photo: South China Morning Post)

HONG KONG: A hiker died on Sunday after he plunged off a cliff at Hong Kong's Lion Rock.

Police said they were alerted to the incident about noon and were told the man, a tourist, was unconscious.

A Government Flying Service helicopter airlifted the man to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, but he was later pronounced dead.

The victim, 37, from mainland China and who has not been named, was said to be part of a group of about a dozen friends who started out on a hike on the city landmark in Kowloon at about 10am (9am Thailand time).

Hiking accidents in Hong Kong have become more common after many of the most scenic destinations have gone viral on mainland social media.

Two mainland tourists were found floating unconscious in the waters off a cape in Shek O in January after going for a hike with family members.

Marine police pulled a woman, 57, and a man, 55, from the water but the pair, a brother and sister, were later pronounced dead by doctors.

A 61-year-old, another brother, injured his foot but was able to return to shore on his own.

Authorities have highlighted Lion Rock as one of the most dangerous hiking spots in the city after a string of fatal accidents.

A middle-aged man fell from a 50-metre cliff last August after he lost his footing.

His body was not found until two hours later and he was certified dead at the scene.

Another man died after a cliff fall near the peak of the rock in September 2022.

A rescue team later found his body about 80 metres below the cliff face.

Hiking experts have warned that Lion Rock is not suitable for beginners because of its rugged terrain.

They also warned fog was common, which reduced visibility and made routes treacherously slippy.

Police said the investigation into the latest tragedy continued.

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2024-05-13 03:37:17Z
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Man dressed like monk in Thailand crashes car & splits it in half, in critical condition - MS News

Man in monk robes in hospital after crashing car & splitting it in half

On 12 May, a man presumed to be a monk crashed his car into the guard rails of a bridge, splitting the car in half.

The accident occurred in Udon Thani in the northeastern region of Thailand.

The man has been transported to the hospital where he is believed to be in critical condition.

Car split in half after crash

Heavy rainfall in northeastern Thailand has caused hazardous driving conditions across the region.

In the late afternoon at around 6pm, a man lost control of his car, which caused it to crash into a bridge’s guard rails.

Source: Khaosod

The collision caused the car to split into two, sending the front-end over the bridge into the ditch below.

The driver was thrown out of the vehicle as a result of the impact. He was discovered unconscious about 15 metres away from the spot of the collision.

Source: Khaosod

In an interview with Channel 3 reporters, a nearby motorist said he saw the car lose control due to the wet conditions of the road.

The car then hit the guard rails, causing it to spin and hit the side of the bridge, which split the car.

Belongings suggest he was a monk

It has not been confirmed if the driver is a monk.

However, he was dressed in monk’s robes and the car contained many items that monks use, such as additional robes and a container monks use to collect alms.

Source: Khaosod

There are also conflicting reports as to the man’s identity.

Khaosod is reporting that the man is a 59-year-old monk who was on his way home after dropping off a relative in Khon Kaen.

However, according to Channel 3, the car also contained documents belonging to multiple people. So the police are still unsure as to who the man is.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The police also issued a warning, urging drivers to be cautious when driving during and after rain.

Also read: 11 killed in Indonesia bus crash, including students on a school trip

11 killed in Indonesia bus crash, including students on a school trip

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Khaosod. 

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2024-05-13 04:40:43Z
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Chip Technology Spending Gets $81 Billion Boost in China Rivalry - Bloomberg

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1. Chip Technology Spending Gets $81 Billion Boost in China Rivalry  Bloomberg
2. Next U.S.-China chip battle will require more than export controls  Nikkei Asia
3. China's use of RISC-V chip standard faces new headwinds from the US  South China Morning Post
4. Congress must face the greatest ‘risk’ in the chips war head-on  The Hill
5. Global chips battle intensifies with $81 billion subsidy surge  The Japan Times

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2024-05-12 19:00:22Z
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Ukrainian shelling kills 7 in Russian apartment block collapse, Russia says - CNA

The Russian defence ministry said on Sunday (May 12) that its air defence forces had destroyed two Soviet-era conventional ballistic missiles launched overnight by Ukrainian forces over the Belgorod region.

Both Ukraine and Russia say they do not target civilians, although many civilians have been killed by both sides in the war. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraine's armed forces.

About 14,000 people were killed there between 2014 and the end of 2021, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), including 3,106 civilians.

Russian forces earlier this month opened a new front in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, which neighbours Russia's Belgorod region which has come under repeated attack from Ukraine by drones, artillery and Ukrainian proxies.

President Vladimir Putin suggested in March that Moscow could try to establish a buffer zone inside Ukrainian territory due to the attacks on Belgorod.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield accounts from either side.

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2024-05-12 10:40:00Z
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