Bougainvillians went to war to shut down the Panguna mine. Why do some want it reopened?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
India's Modi pushes for self-reliance in Independence Day speech amid threat of US tariffs
Prime minister Narendra Modi marked India 's 78 years of Independence on Friday by urging the nation to move towards more self-reliance amid the looming threat of additional US tariffs. Addressing the country from New Delhi's 17th-century, Mughal-era Red Fort, he said everything from fertilisers to jet engines and EV batteries should be manufactured in India. "Farmers, fishermen, cattle rearers are our top priorities," Mr Modi said in his customary annual address. "Modi will stand like a wall against any policy that threatens their interests. India will never compromise when it comes to protecting the interests of our farmers," he said. Mr Modi did not mention the tariffs or the US in his speech that lasted nearly two hours. Last week, US president Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations. Although local manufacturing and self-reliance have been Mr Modi's key focus areas for years now, the push is seen to have gained urgency amid ongoing global trade tensions and supply chain disruptions. "The need of the hour is to take a resolve for building a strong India ... I want our traders, shopkeepers to display boards for Swadeshi [Made in India] products," he said. He said made-in-India semiconductor chips would hit the market by the end of this year and that India was pushing for self-reliance in producing critical minerals with exploration underway at more than 1,200 locations. Mr Trump's tariffs threaten to disrupt India's access to its largest export market, where shipments totalled nearly $87bn (£ bn) in 2024, hitting sectors like textiles, footwear, shrimp, gems and jewellery. Trade talks between New Delhi and Washington collapsed after five rounds of negotiations over disagreement on opening India's vast farm and dairy sectors and stopping Russian oil purchases. The prime minister announced India would set up a new defence system called 'Sudarshan Chakra' in the aftermath of India's four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May. "India has decided that it will not tolerate nuclear threats. For a long time, nuclear blackmail had been going on but this blackmail will not be tolerated now," Mr Modi said. Pakistani prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday announced the creation of a new "Army Rocket Force Command" to bolster the country's defense capabilities. Sharif made this announcement during a speech marking Independence Day celebrations, but gave no further details. India celebrates its Independence Day one day after Pakistan. The two states came into existence as a result of the bloody partition of British India in 1947. The process sparked some of the worst communal violence the world has seen and left hundreds of thousands dead. It triggered one of the largest human migrations in history and some 12 million people fled their homes.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Focus on Africa Nigeria negotiates $346m arms deal with US
The US government has approved a $346m arms deal with Nigeria which would include munitions, precision bombs and precision rockets. What is behind the change in a decade-long US policy about selling certain kinds of weapons to Nigeria? The mining of gold has been a key factor of Sudan's economy, and now it is a major source of funding of the two-year civil war. We look back at its history in Sudan, and how the war is driving demand. And one year on since Ghana's parliament passed its landmark Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act, which was hailed as a victory for women's rights, how have things changed? Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Nyasha Michelle and Stefania Okereke in London. Charles Gitonga in Nairobi Technical Producer: Philip Bull Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
The economic roundtable is Jim Chalmers' chance for bold reform. Australians can't afford anything less
Jim Chalmers had a determined look about him this week, ahead of the government's much-hyped economic reform roundtable in Canberra. The atmosphere in the treasurer's office was reminiscent of the days immediately before a federal budget, with frenetic activity and an air of sleep deprivation among the small army of advisers. Preparations for the three-day event have been exhaustive and Chalmers works at a pace few people in the ministerial wing can sustain. Armed with a small page of handwritten notes, Chalmers told this column that the process of consulting with hundreds of individuals and organisations about how to turn around the country's productivity challenges had been more than worthwhile, as 30-odd attenders prepare to take their seats at the cabinet table on Tuesday morning. There's no doubt new approaches are needed. Productivity has barely grown at all since 2016. The stagnation in the Australian economy poses a threat to living standards, since working smarter is the long-run driver of securing higher incomes for households. Ken Henry, the former Treasury boss and summit invitee, puts the challenge another way. He calculates Australian workers have lost about $500,000 in potential pay rises over the past 25 years because of sclerotic productivity growth. 'I see it as three days to help inform three budgets,' Chalmers said, sitting at a conference table in the office previously occupied by Wayne Swan, his former boss and mentor. Family photos and a curated collection of books about politics and history dominate the space. Conscious of messaging and expectations in Canberra and beyond, Chalmers said outcomes from the roundtable would fuel and inform future decisions of the government, helping set a direction for Labor in this term of parliament an others to come. Solutions to emerging problems such as AI and an ageing population are also badly needed. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The event itself has required more than a little productivity already. Treasury received 900 submissions – twice the number of pitches received before Labor's jobs and skills summit early in the government's first term. Chalmers has held boardroom talks with business leaders and lobby groups, while ministers have convened more than 40 preparatory meetings of their own, attended by about 700 people. The Productivity Commission has released a slew of reports to guide the process. Bureaucrats in Chalmers' department have used AI to organise and structure this massive input of ideas, including the predictable mix of kite flying, influence peddling and ambit claims. On Friday, Chalmers sat down with his state and territory counterparts for the last of these events. Talking up consensus, the group agreed to work towards faster approvals for major infrastructure projects, to cut cumbersome and outdated regulation, to boost competition and build more homes more quickly. Some serious ideas are in the mix, illustrated by an awkwardly timed Treasury leak this week, which showed Labor was preparing to move forward with reforms to clear a backlog of 30,000 housing approvals held up by outdated environmental laws, as well as new rules for AI and a pause on changes to the National Construction Code. 'There's been a heap of effort,' Chalmers said. 'Working around the clock for four weeks to make sure that people's voices are heard and that we can shape up a meaningful and useful roundtable.' The meeting has become an organising tool for Labor's second term, including allowing Chalmers and Albanese to test ideas with voters and the media, and rule some ideas out. The prime minister has also stressed the government won't misjudge its mandate or foist new taxes on the electorate. Overdue ideas already firmly in need of resolution are being attached as well: changes to Howard-era national environmental laws will get a kick along and Anthony Albanese telegraphed this week that road user charging rules for electric vehicles would be thrashed out over the roundtable. Here a phased-in and staged approach is expected, treating heavy vehicles differently to ensure EV take-up continues to grow in line with the renewables transition. Labor might even come away with an idea or two for major reform proposals to take to voters at the next election, putting its thumping victory over Peter Dutton to use. But the lead-up to the summit hasn't all been smooth sailing. It emerged on Wednesday that Chalmers and Albanese had held a face-to-face meeting last week after a reported 'frisson' over expectations for the summit. Albanese appeared frustrated at some mission creep for the talks and the pair discussed the need to 'be on the same page' about major tax reform plans and the scale of Labor's ambition. After the story emerged, both were quick to say they meet all the time, while the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, talked up their cooperation at the heart of the government. Despite not wanting to shut down ideas ahead of the summit, Albanese and Chalmers have rejected calls to change the rate and base of the GST, and ruled out negative gearing and capital gains tax concession rule changes. The Australian Council of Trade Unions called for a four-day week for workers, without any loss of pay, a reform that feels both eminently possible in the future but too ambitious for the present. The Greens want Labor to move faster with expensive plans for universal childcare, an ambition Albanese is laying the groundwork for already, while the Coalition is both taking part in the talks and deriding them as akin to a tour of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. It is unclear who will play the role of Augustus Gloop in this scenario. Labor can't afford not to be bold. It has identified the productivity problem and told voters it is better placed than the Coalition to manage the economy. Chalmers wants to be remembered as a reforming treasurer, and aspires to higher office, but will need to convince his colleagues – and the sometimes more cautious prime minister – of the case for ambition. Chalmers and Albanese made their own job harder by raising the prospect of sweeping tax reform at the start of the process, only to quickly shut down some of the serious proposals in a bid to manage expectations. The best way to undermine claims that the roundtable is a stage-managed talkfest is to make it a success: to take up real economic reform options that drive growth and boost productivity. Strengthening the budget and lifting living standards is as necessary as it is difficult, but buy-in from roundtable participants will be a crucial start, even if Labor has to spend political capital to get the job done.
