Image via Vanuatu Red Cross Facebook
Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by bFM and VICE NZ.New Zealand Air Force on Volcano Watch in Vanuatu
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is providing support to Vanuatu as it prepares for a volcanic eruption. The RNZAF Orion detoured to the South Pacific nation on its way back from the Middle East to survey the Morano volcano, which has been blanketing the island of Ambae with ash since Saturday. Acting Air Component commander Nick Olney says the survey was to determine future risk. A state of emergency has been declared on the island and the volcano's alert level has been raised to 4, one down from a large scale eruption. So far 5,000 people have fled their homes.Water Contamination Cost Havelock Victims Millions, and Compensation Falls Short
A report was published by the Ministry of Health yesterday, showing the contaminated water that caused a campylobacter outbreak cost Havelock North $21 million. Households were burdened by $12 million of that cost, which amounts to an average of $2,240 per household. The expenses came from having to buy clean water, doctors visits and taking time off work and school due to sickness. Hastings District Council and Hawke's Bay Regional Council each contributed $100,000 to a compensation fund. Resident Fiona Hosford who caught the bug and had to take time off work says the amount doesn't come close to what it should be. Some affected by the outbreak are experiencing long-term health effects. Hastings district councillor, Simon Nixon, says ratepayers should not have been left to bear the cost of compensation and that the government should have contributed.Scientists Working on New Super Berry Crop
New Zealand scientists are researching a way to make blueberries with coloured flesh. Plant and Food Research is attempting to create a superfruit which combines the taste and growing characteristics of blueberries with the coloured flesh of bilberries. Bilberries are a small berry that has dark blue-red flesh, but their thin skin means they're too delicate to grow commercially. Scientist Richard Espley says a hybrid of bilberries and blueberries could result in a very valuable crop for New Zealand.Immunisation Below Target in Nelson Area
Immunisation levels in children are below target levels at Nelson Marlborough District Health Board. An annual performance review shows levels are particularly low in both Māori and Pasifika children. DHB chair Jenny Black says immunisation is an area that the board struggles to achieve its goals, and that it's an issue of parents declining immunisation.Blind Kiwis Could Be More Evolved
The discovery of blind kiwi birds has led to speculation about whether this is due to evolution. A study in the New Scientist found several kiwis without sight, which some believe may leave them vulnerable to predators who do. However, Te Papa's curator of vertebrates, Alan Tennyson, says sight is not crucial to either predator or prey. Researchers say the loss of sight may be evolutionary, with the birds reportedly developing greater senses of touch and smell.Saudi Arabian Women to Take the Steering Wheel
Saudi Arabia says it will allow women to drive, overturning a policy that has been called a human rights violation. Saudi Arabia is ruled according to Shariah law, which has been used as an explanation for the ban on women driving. The move marks a significant change in their policy, brought on by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old who has a plan to reform the nation's economy and society. Women will not be able to drive immediately, because there is no infrastructure for women to learn to drive or obtain licences. Police will also need training to interact with women, as Saudi men rarely communicate with women they are not related to.Threats of Unrest After Historic Kurdish Independence Vote
Turkish president, Recep Taayyip Erdogan, is warning there will be an ethnic war subsequent to the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum. The controversial vote took place on Monday, and the results showed an overwhelming "yes" for Iraqi Kurdistan to be an independent nation. Erdogan is urging Iraqi Kurd leader, Masoud Barzani, to "give up on an adventure which can only have a dark end", saying the vote is "treason" to Turkey. Haider al-Abadi, Prime Minister of Iraq, says unity is necessary in their country as they continue to fight Islamic State. Many ethnic Kurds feel the vote would trigger "political chaos". Erdogan has already threatened to impose sanctions, saying they will close the oil tap to the Kurdish region and stop cross border traffic so they cannot get food.North Korea's Please Explain to the Republican Party
The North Korean government has contacted members of the US republican party to try to make sense of Donald Trump. Trump has been threatening North Korea over the past few weeks, saying that if they "won't be around much longer" and calling Kim Jong Un "Little Rocket Man". Government officials from North Korea have been trying to set up a meeting with analysts from Trump's Republican party in order to make sense of these threats.Pride Persecution in Egypt
Egyptian police have arrested seven people after they were allegedly seen raising a rainbow flag at a concert in Cairo last week. Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law, although the seven have been detained for promoting sexual deviancy, and no formal charges have yet been laid. Authorities routinely arrest LGBT people in Egypt for engaging in consensual homosexual conduct, labelling it as "debauchery", "immorality" or "blasphemy". Prosecutors opened an investigation after the Lebanese band Mashrou' Leila—whose lead singer is openly gay—posted pictures of their Cairo concert. The raising of the rainbow flag is a rare showing of support for LGBT rights in a conservative muslim country.Trump's Attempt to Scrap Obamacare Fails, Again
The latest proposed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare in the United States has failed. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell officially pulled the Cassidy-Graham Bill after prominent Republicans refused to back it. Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain is among the group that spoke out against the new bill. President Donald Trump says he is disappointed in the result, but he's confident a new deal can be made some time in the future.Reporting by Harry Willis, Mary-Margaret Slack and Reilly Hodson.
LOCAL NEWS
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is providing support to Vanuatu as it prepares for a volcanic eruption. The RNZAF Orion detoured to the South Pacific nation on its way back from the Middle East to survey the Morano volcano, which has been blanketing the island of Ambae with ash since Saturday. Acting Air Component commander Nick Olney says the survey was to determine future risk. A state of emergency has been declared on the island and the volcano's alert level has been raised to 4, one down from a large scale eruption. So far 5,000 people have fled their homes.Water Contamination Cost Havelock Victims Millions, and Compensation Falls Short
A report was published by the Ministry of Health yesterday, showing the contaminated water that caused a campylobacter outbreak cost Havelock North $21 million. Households were burdened by $12 million of that cost, which amounts to an average of $2,240 per household. The expenses came from having to buy clean water, doctors visits and taking time off work and school due to sickness. Hastings District Council and Hawke's Bay Regional Council each contributed $100,000 to a compensation fund. Resident Fiona Hosford who caught the bug and had to take time off work says the amount doesn't come close to what it should be. Some affected by the outbreak are experiencing long-term health effects. Hastings district councillor, Simon Nixon, says ratepayers should not have been left to bear the cost of compensation and that the government should have contributed.
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New Zealand scientists are researching a way to make blueberries with coloured flesh. Plant and Food Research is attempting to create a superfruit which combines the taste and growing characteristics of blueberries with the coloured flesh of bilberries. Bilberries are a small berry that has dark blue-red flesh, but their thin skin means they're too delicate to grow commercially. Scientist Richard Espley says a hybrid of bilberries and blueberries could result in a very valuable crop for New Zealand.Immunisation Below Target in Nelson Area
Immunisation levels in children are below target levels at Nelson Marlborough District Health Board. An annual performance review shows levels are particularly low in both Māori and Pasifika children. DHB chair Jenny Black says immunisation is an area that the board struggles to achieve its goals, and that it's an issue of parents declining immunisation.Blind Kiwis Could Be More Evolved
The discovery of blind kiwi birds has led to speculation about whether this is due to evolution. A study in the New Scientist found several kiwis without sight, which some believe may leave them vulnerable to predators who do. However, Te Papa's curator of vertebrates, Alan Tennyson, says sight is not crucial to either predator or prey. Researchers say the loss of sight may be evolutionary, with the birds reportedly developing greater senses of touch and smell.
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INTERNATIONAL
Saudi Arabia says it will allow women to drive, overturning a policy that has been called a human rights violation. Saudi Arabia is ruled according to Shariah law, which has been used as an explanation for the ban on women driving. The move marks a significant change in their policy, brought on by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old who has a plan to reform the nation's economy and society. Women will not be able to drive immediately, because there is no infrastructure for women to learn to drive or obtain licences. Police will also need training to interact with women, as Saudi men rarely communicate with women they are not related to.Threats of Unrest After Historic Kurdish Independence Vote
Turkish president, Recep Taayyip Erdogan, is warning there will be an ethnic war subsequent to the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum. The controversial vote took place on Monday, and the results showed an overwhelming "yes" for Iraqi Kurdistan to be an independent nation. Erdogan is urging Iraqi Kurd leader, Masoud Barzani, to "give up on an adventure which can only have a dark end", saying the vote is "treason" to Turkey. Haider al-Abadi, Prime Minister of Iraq, says unity is necessary in their country as they continue to fight Islamic State. Many ethnic Kurds feel the vote would trigger "political chaos". Erdogan has already threatened to impose sanctions, saying they will close the oil tap to the Kurdish region and stop cross border traffic so they cannot get food.North Korea's Please Explain to the Republican Party
The North Korean government has contacted members of the US republican party to try to make sense of Donald Trump. Trump has been threatening North Korea over the past few weeks, saying that if they "won't be around much longer" and calling Kim Jong Un "Little Rocket Man". Government officials from North Korea have been trying to set up a meeting with analysts from Trump's Republican party in order to make sense of these threats.Pride Persecution in Egypt
Egyptian police have arrested seven people after they were allegedly seen raising a rainbow flag at a concert in Cairo last week. Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law, although the seven have been detained for promoting sexual deviancy, and no formal charges have yet been laid. Authorities routinely arrest LGBT people in Egypt for engaging in consensual homosexual conduct, labelling it as "debauchery", "immorality" or "blasphemy". Prosecutors opened an investigation after the Lebanese band Mashrou' Leila—whose lead singer is openly gay—posted pictures of their Cairo concert. The raising of the rainbow flag is a rare showing of support for LGBT rights in a conservative muslim country.Trump's Attempt to Scrap Obamacare Fails, Again
The latest proposed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare in the United States has failed. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell officially pulled the Cassidy-Graham Bill after prominent Republicans refused to back it. Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain is among the group that spoke out against the new bill. President Donald Trump says he is disappointed in the result, but he's confident a new deal can be made some time in the future.Reporting by Harry Willis, Mary-Margaret Slack and Reilly Hodson.