Latest news with #TPP
Kiwiblog
a day ago
- Politics
- Kiwiblog
How did the Australian pollsters go?
Now we have a final result for the Australian election, we can look at how the Australian pollsters did. This shows the primary and then TPP vote for each pollsters's final pre-election poll. The final TPP result of 55.2% to 44.8% was greater than all the polls. Four had it 53 to 47, so were out by 2.2% only. Those most out on the TPP were Ipsos followed by Freshwater and Demos. In terms of the primary vote, YouGov were closest to the Coalition at 31.4% to 31.8%. The most out went to Freshwater who had them 5.2% too high, and then Resolve at 3.2%. For the ALP, Redbridge were only 0.6% out and Ipsos had them a massive 6.6% too low. Four pollsters got the Greens almost spot on. The furthest out was YouGov at 2.4%. And One Nation had Roy Morgan get them almost spot on, while Essential had them 3.6% too low. If we look at how many results were within the margin of error for their sample size we have: Roy Morgan 6/6 Newspoll, Redbridge 5/6 Spectre, Resolve 3/6 Ipsos, Freshwater, Demos, Essential 2/6 YouGov 1/6 And the average error for each pollster was: Redbridge 1.5% Roy Morgan 1.7% Newspoll 1.9% Demos 2.3% resolve 2.3% YouGov 2.4% Spectre 2.6% Essential 2.6% Freshwater 2.7% Ipsos 3.0% As always you should never judge a pollster off just one poll. And all pollsters did get it right that Labor would win – but they all underestimated the degree.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
U.S. Tariffs, Rice Prices Discussed in Basic Economic Policy Draft; Disaster Prevention Agency Also Discussed
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Prime Minister's Office The government will aim to maintain the free trade system by taking the lead in expanding the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, as part of its efforts to respond to U.S. tariff measures, according to the draft of its basic economy policy for the next fiscal year. The draft of the 'Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform' also states that the government will 'review rice farming policies to address soaring rice prices.' U.S. tariff measures 'could shake the free trade system built by the post-war international community,' the draft says. It goes on to state that the government will 'grapple with maintaining and strengthening international economic order based on free and fair rules' through international cooperation, such as expanding the TPP and building a more resilient supply chain. Regarding the domestic economy, the draft states it is necessary to take caution against possible impacts of the tariff measures and the economic risks of surging prices.' It stresses the need to mobilize all possible policy measures, including passing costs onto prices as appropriate, to increase people's income and the country's productivity. Touching on the soaring rice prices, the draft states the government will ensure the stable supply of rice through the smooth distribution of its stockpiled rice. It also states that the government will take concrete steps to review its rice farming policies. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed his willingness to review the policy of adjusting rice production, which is effectively a policy of reducing rice acreage, and instead expand sales channels by increasing rice exportation. These stances are reflected in the draft. The draft makes reference to a disaster prevention agency, which the government aims to establish in fiscal 2026. The envisaged organization will be positioned as the central command for the entire government on the coordination of policy measures for disaster prevention. The draft states that the agency will have the authority to issue recommendations to other government bodies, and that the government will secure sufficient funding and personnel for the agency as well as appoint a dedicated cabinet member to head it. According to the draft, the government will also consider setting up regional bases for disaster prevention, an idea which Ishiba has touted. Following adjustments by the ruling parties, the basic policy is expected to be approved by the Cabinet as early as on June 13.
.JPG%3Fwidth%3D1260%26fit%3Dcover%26gravity%3Dfaces%26dpr%3D2%26quality%3Dmedium%26source%3Dnar-cms%26format%3Dauto%26height%3D630&w=3840&q=100)
Nikkei Asia
6 days ago
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Trump has created an opportunity for global trade partnerships to thrive
Sohini Chatterjee, a former senior official at the U.S. Department of State who served as a lead U.S. negotiator on the Trans-Pacific Partnership during the Administration of President Barack Obama, is an international attorney and former Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. Years ago, after painstaking months of brutal talks that took place all over the globe and brought together negotiation experts from a slew of different countries with distinctive cultural, economic and political leanings, an immense and innovative trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was about to be born. Suddenly and at the 11th hour, the U.S. abruptly bailed from the negotiations.
Finextra
7 days ago
- Business
- Finextra
Token.io becomes first third-party provider admitted to giroAPI scheme
the leading account-to-account (A2A) payments infrastructure provider, today announced it has become the first third-party provider (TPP) to be admitted to the giroAPI scheme. 0 This milestone positions at the forefront of premium API payment innovation in Europe and will enable its partners — which include tier 1 banks and payment services providers — to access advanced payment capabilities and new business models through the German Banking Industry's (DK) pioneering giroAPI scheme. giroAPI is the first API scheme in Europe to go beyond traditional payment transactions. It was launched by the German Banking Industry Committee associations (BVR, DSGV, VÖB, and the Association of German Banks) on 1 January, 2025, and is built on the Berlin Group's openFinance API framework. This provides a standardised, secure, and commercially governed interface that connects banks with TPPs like As a member of the giroAPI scheme, will be able to deliver new account-to-account payment (often called 'Pay by Bank') features to its partners. These include online micropayments exempt from Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), as well as recurring and future-dated payments, empowering consumers to schedule regular transactions — such as subscriptions or utility bills — by pre-authorising a maximum payment amount. Businesses will be able to offer customers significantly greater choice and control when making payments, supporting use cases such as ecommerce transactions, travel bookings, and instalment-based payments. André Nash, Head of Banking Technology and Security, Bankenverband, for giroAPI commented: ' admission as the first TPP marks a significant step in realising the vision of giroAPI: to foster innovation and deliver new value-added services through secure, standardised APIs. We look forward to working with to enable the next generation of Open Finance services for banks, businesses, and consumers across Europe.' Gideon Fourie, Managing Director, Token GmbH, said: 'Being the first TPP to join giroAPI is a tremendous opportunity. participation means our partners will be able to access new payment experiences supported by a rapidly growing network of banks through a single, secure connection. This will provide German banks and consumers with more payment choices, and strengthen the competitive position of Germany's financial institutions.' Charles Damen, Chief Product Officer, added: 'This is a major milestone for the evolution of Pay by Bank, providing businesses in Europe with payment services comparable to Variable Recurring Payments (VRP) in the UK, complemented by additional cutting-edge Pay by Bank capabilities. By joining giroAPI, is enabling the next wave of premium, API-driven payment services — making it easier for businesses to offer innovative payment options and for consumers to benefit from seamless, secure experiences. We are proud to lead the way in bringing the full potential of open banking-enabled payments to the European market.' Analysts predict that three in four Europeans will regularly use Pay by Bank by 2029, with Pay by Bank becoming only second to digital wallets for online transactions by 2030. admission to giroAPI further cements its leadership in the European payments landscape. With access to over 190 banks already in the scheme and plans for further expansion, is set to drive the future of Pay by Bank in Europe.
Epoch Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
More Than 1 Million Taiwanese Sign Petitions to Recall Alleged Pro-Communist China Legislators
News Analysis An effort in Taiwan to recall politicians seen as selling out the island's interests to communist China is gaining ground, raising the possibility of a major setback for Beijing's hopes of subjugating Taiwan by co-opting its government. Starting late last year, Taiwanese civic groups initiated a campaign to invoke recall elections targeting opposition legislators as Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, elected in January 2024, has advocated tough policies to counter the CCP, including bolstering Taiwan's defensive capabilities and strengthening its alliance with the United States. However, Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have been hard-pressed in implementing their program, as the party holds a minority of seats in Taiwan's parliament, the Legislative Yuan. As early as May 2024, when Lai assumed office, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP), collectively known as the 'blue-white coalition,' used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to attempt structural reforms that would have greatly empowered the parliament at the expense of the presidency; reforms made to the judicial system have also reduced that institution's effectiveness in checking the legislature. The blue-white coalition has also leveraged its majority to obstruct the central government budget, order reductions to Taiwan's defense spending, and block bills aimed at stemming political interference from mainland China. Related Story 5/7/2025 Initially regarded as having little chance of success, the mass recall movement has gathered more than 1 million signatures across Taiwan, targeting 35 legislators affiliated with the KMT and TPP. Twenty-four of these drives have collected enough signatures—at least 25 percent of a given legislator's constituents—for a recall vote, and have been submitted for verification. While the blue-white coalition has responded with its own recall campaign by initiating petitions against 15 legislators of the DPP camp, none of the petitions has received the signatures needed to proceed to the next phase. Recalling 'Pro-Communist' Legislators The recall movement against KMT and TPP legislators was initiated by groups such as the Anti-Communist Taiwan Defense Volunteer Alliance, which, on April 24, held a rally to keep up the signature drive. A rally to 'Resist the United Front, Protect Taiwan' was held in Taipei, Taiwan's capital, on April 19, gathering around 55,000 people along Ketagalan Boulevard to reject the CCP's influence and support the recalls. The third and final round of signatures to confirm the recall elections will take place starting on the week of May 12. Those recall races validated by Taiwan's Central Election Commission will be held within 20 to 60 days. Elected legislators attend a swearing-in ceremony at the chamber of the Legislative Yuan on the first day of session in Taipei, Taiwan, on Feb. 1, 2024. I-Hwa Cheng/AFP via Getty Images Akio Yaita, a Japanese journalist who serves as executive director of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Institute, estimates that up to a dozen KMT legislators could be successfully recalled. Speaking with the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times, Yaita Speaking at a May 3 recall rally in Keelung, a port city near Taiwan's capital city, Taiwanese businessman Robert Tsao Hsing-cheng warned that the de facto nation of 23 million could suffer the same fate as Hong Kong should 'pro-communist legislators' be permitted to advance their agenda. Top KMT officials 'not only refused to attend the inauguration ceremony of Taiwan's president [in May 2024], but also went to Beijing to meet with Wang Huning, a senior CCP official,' Tsao noted, referring to a trip that occurred in April last year. After recovering Hong Kong from British rule in 1997, the CCP spent decades eroding the city's promised political autonomy, eventually imposing an authoritarian national security law in 2020 that quashed Hong Kong's civic freedoms amid Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is the remnant territory of the government that was defeated on the Chinese mainland by the CCP rebels in 1949. Despite fighting a protracted civil war against the communists when it ruled mainland China, the KMT, or Nationalist Party, has in recent decades adopted a pro-CCP stance, emphasizing cross-strait economic and cultural ties. 'The KMT has expressed opposition to civil defense groups coordinating with the military in the event of a Chinese attack. It has also pushed to roll back anti-infiltration laws, including restrictions on active or retired military personnel saluting the flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and singing the PRC national anthem,' a March 19 The Greatest Threat to a Democratic Taiwan DPP legislator Puma Shen declared at the May 3 Keelung rally that an alliance of the 'pro-red unification Kuomintang' and the CCP constituted the greatest threat to Taiwan's democracy. Taiwanese legislator Puma Shen (L) and businessman Robert Tsao Hsing-cheng take part in a rally supporting the mass recall petitions in Keelung, Taiwan, on May 3, 2025. Sun Xiangyi/The Epoch Times Shen's words echo a March 20 At the Keelung rally, Shen criticized the blue-white camp for blocking more than 40 times a motion in the Legislative Yuan that would have restricted Taiwanese legislators from traveling to mainland China. He also gave an example of the opposition using procedural methods to obstruct the operations of the parliament. 'One meeting began at 9 a.m. and was dismissed at 9:03 a.m. Nobody was given the opportunity to speak,' he said. The Anti-Communist Taiwan Defense Volunteer Alliance also warned at its April 24 rally in Taipei about efforts by the KMT–TPP coalition to amend the existing regulations on recall elections to make them harder to initiate. On April 26, the blue-white camp staged a demonstration to 'oppose green communism, fight dictatorship,' portraying the mass recalls as a move toward authoritarianism. In Taiwanese electoral politics, the DPP and its allies are known as the 'pan-greens.' At the rally, KMT Chairman Eric Chu Li-luan criticized Lai and ended the event by declaring that the party would campaign for Lai's own recall from office. The KMT's shift toward its current stance came in large measure due to persistent 'united front' tactics employed by the CCP for more than a century to subvert and eliminate its traditional enemy. A China coast guard ship sails toward the zone where China said it would conduct live fire exercises northeast of Pingtan island, the closest point in China to Taiwan, in southeast Fujian Province, China, on April 10, 2023. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images In addition to ordering frequent naval and aerial patrols to harass and intimidate Taiwan's defenses, the Chinese regime's 'united front' work targets Taiwanese officials, military personnel, business circles, and other important organizations and individuals. The meeting between the KMT legislators and senior CCP official Wang Huning mentioned by Robert Tsao occurred on April 26, 2024. Fu Kun-chi, majority leader of the Legislative Yuan, led a delegation of 16 KMT legislators to visit Beijing at the time. There, they were granted an audience with Wang, who is a member of the CCP's seven-man leadership body and has spent more than a decade in charge of crafting Beijing's modern ideological doctrine. Fu, who represents Taiwan's eastern Hualien county and is subject to a recall effort, has been imprisoned three times for economic crimes. He studied at Jinan University in Guangzhou, southern China, but the degree he earned there is not recognized by the Taiwanese education ministry on account of Jinan being run by the CCP's United Front Work Group. Other prominent KMT officials have expressed support for Beijing, such as former President Ma Ying-jeou, who, ahead of the 2024 presidential election, urged Taiwanese to 'trust' that Chinese leader Xi Jinping would not order a military invasion of the island. Calls for Solidarity Across Party Lines The roughly 50 Taiwanese civic groups facilitating the mass recall petitions and efforts to monitor the activities of lawmakers represent 'the democratic will of Taiwanese society and a constitutional battle against the CCP's authoritarian regime,' according to Tseng Chien-yuan, executive director of the New School for Democracy, a nonprofit originally founded in Hong Kong. Around 55,000 Taiwanese attend a rally to support mass recalls against legislators allegedly linked to communist China, in Taipei, on April 19, 2025. Sun Xiangyi/The Epoch Times Speaking on a May 1 Yang Hsien-hung, founding chairman of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights in China, told The Epoch Times that the recall process is an opportunity to walk back 'the mistaken election of CCP collaborators.' He added that the KMT's declaration of recalling Lai is a non-starter, given that the blue-white coalition only commands a slight majority in the Legislative Yuan, rather than the two-thirds needed to oust a sitting president. The KMT's pro-Beijing stance has angered some of its own would-be supporters. One group, the 'Chinese Anti-Communist Taiwan Protection National Restoration Party,' has joined the recall movement against the KMT, with its chairman, Cheng Kai-li, calling upon Taiwanese of all political stripes to jointly resist the CCP's designs for taking over the island, according to Taiwan's SET News. Tseng said in his statements with NTD that the mass recalls were not about the issue of whether Taiwan should pursue formal independence from China or eventually reunite with the mainland, or a partisan struggle, but 'a historic moment where people across Taiwan, transcending party lines, unite to resist the CCP's united front tactics.' He pointed out that retired military officers and conservative figures from within the KMT establishment, who previously avoided any possible associations with the Taiwan independence movement, have also stepped forward to support the grassroots recall efforts. Shen, the DPP legislator, emphasized at the May 3 rally in Keelung that the purpose of the recall movement was not to target the KMT specifically but to safeguard Taiwan's political system and sovereignty. 'Even if some of the Kuomintang members retain their seats after the recall, it will still be a good thing for Taiwan as long as they hold democratic values and love Taiwan,' he said. Fei Zhen, Cheng Mulan, and Luo Ya contributed to this report.
