Everything you need to know today curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.
LOCAL NEWS
Fears Pacific Peoples Unfairly Targeted by Immigration NZ
A pilot programme by Immigration NZ that profiles people by modelling data is being called racist. For the past 18 months data such as age, gender and ethnicity of overstayers has been analysed to determine who should be deported. The profiling looks at who is more likely to commit crime or cost more in the hospital. Immigration NZ is being criticised for including ethnicity and there are fears Pasifika peoples will be unfairly targeted. Melino Maka from the Tongan Advisory Council says it is bringing back the dawn raids. Harkanwal Singh, a data analyst, has shown his concerns on Twitter about the secrecy of the actual data being used and the subjectivity of those models. Singh says “ministries can’t just build predictive models then put them at the heart of their decision making without showing their working”.
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Stranded Whales Unable To Be Saved
A dozen pilot whales that stranded themselves on a remote west coast beach in the South Island have had to be euthanised. Attempts to refloat them at high tide by Department of Conservation rangers, local iwi and volunteers failed this morning. The 12 surviving whales were part of a pod of 38 that stranded themselves along both sides of the Okuru river on Wednesday. Rough seas and strong tidal currents meant they could not be refloated safely. DOC Spokesperson, Wayne Costello, says euthanising the whales was the most humane thing to do.
Government’s Waste to Energy Scheme Smells Fishy
The governments proposed waste-to-energy scheme has enormous flaws, according to the Environment Ministry. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are expected to go into the scheme, despite the Environment Ministry’s warnings it doesn’t measure up economically and environmentally. Advice obtained under the Official Information Act says Regional Economic Development Minister, Shane Jones, knew about the warnings two days before the scheme was announced. Warnings say the proposal will undermine other incentives to reduce waste, as well as increase carbon emissions. However, it has been put on hold after the man behind the scheme, Gerard Gallagher, was referred to the Serious Fraud office.
Free Food for Struggling Students
The student association of AUT is launching a free food pantry for all students. Urshula Ansell, the special projects officer for AUTSA, says students are increasingly undergoing financial hardship. Students are trying to cover rising rents without an increase in their income. The pantry will give students fresh produce, groceries as well as menstrual cups and other necessities. Ansell says that other student associations are also doing more for their students. “Most student unions are doing it and they’re trying their hardest to do it and they’re all doing it in their own different ways that works best for their students and what they can get their hands on,” she told bFM. Ansell adds that students at any university should ask their student association for help if they are having financial difficulty.
Christchurch Repair Bill Blows Out
Re-repairs and remedial work on quake damaged homes in Christchurch has cost $200 million dollars more than the estimated overall cost. Checkpoint reported earlier in the week the cost for EQC managed repairs rose from $60-$70 million to $160 million. Since then, the commission has revealed that the total figure is much higher and sits at $270 million dollars. It seems most of the work done was on easier stuff and had missed the more structural issues says one of the lawyers representing claimants against the EQC and insurers. Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission Megan Woods is concerned the National government left this mess. Woods said they had cut and run because they had known these estimates and they were already scaling down the operations.
Lyttelton Workers Prepare to Strike
Negotiations over pay and safety at Lyttelton port between the managing company and union have failed again. Strikes by the Rail and Maritime Union’s members are expected to come following the failed negotiations. The members of the union want to be paid the same as members from a rival union working at the port, however port management says this will only happen if they work the same flexible hours. The strikes are expected to be held on April 20 for five days.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nationalist French Military Students Pressured Women to “Drop Out”
A group of male students face exclusion from an elite military academy near Paris over sexual harassment allegations.The accusations come from French newspaper, Libération, which quoted a letter from a female student to President Macron. The student says around 60 male recruits out of 230 were attempting to force her and other female students to drop out. France’s defence minister, Florence Parly, says there is no place for sexism in our armed forces. She says the military school could also face sanctions if it failed to act against the harassment claims.
Trump Keeps Troops in Syria After All
US President, Donald Trump, has been persuaded not to withdraw the military from Syria. US military commanders say this decision comes from the desire to not repeat past mistakes, where an early withdrawal meant Al-Qaeda survived and formed IS. Last week, Mr Trump declared the US would be coming out very soon as officials say the terrorist group have lost 98 percent of the land they held. However, Defence Secretary James Mattis told Trump that a complete withdrawal threatened gains made by the US. The White House statement says they expect countries in the region and the United Nations, to work toward peace and ensure that ISIS never re-emerges.
Yulia Skripal Makes First Public Statement Since Nerve Attack
UK police have issued the first statement on behalf of Yulia Skripal, one of two Russians poisoned by a nerve agent in March. Yulia Skripal, daughter of Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, says her strength is growing daily. The pair are in hospital in Salisbury, southern England, where the attack took place last month. Mr Skripal is critically ill but stable. The poisoning, which the UK blames on Russia, has sparked an international diplomatic crisis and led to worsened relationships between Moscow and Western countries. Russia has denied involvement and maintains that claims it has a nerve agent stockpile were false. Moscow’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya says the British are playing with fire and called the accusations horrific and unsubstantiated. He says Novichok, the nerve agent used in the attack, is not copyrighted by Russia and is developed in many other countries. Nebenzya criticised the UK’s intelligence services and says it’s a theatre of the absurd in response to claims that Russia tested the agent on everyday subjects.
Saudi Arabians Back at the Movies After 35 Year Intermission
Saudi Arabia are opening their first cinema in over 35 years this month. The opening is part of, Vision 2030, a drive to bring entertainment to Saudi Arabia as part of economic and social reform by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Cinemas were originally closed in the 1970s at the command of hardline Islamic clerics. Saudis have still been consuming Western media and culture privately on their phones or on their TVs at home. The first movie to be screened will be Marvel superhero blockbuster Black Panther.
Is the Quokka Selfie Craze Not As Bad As Instagram Says?
Instagram are warning that selfies with Australia’s quokkas are causing them harm. Quokka’s are cheerful-looking marsupials that have no natural predators on Rottnest Island, meaning they happily take selfies with tourists. Last month, the government talked about using selfies with the native species to push for tourists. The Rottnest Island Authority disputes Instagram’s cautionary stance and has asked the app to remove its warning saying it fails to educate. Wildlife researcher Dr Catherine Herbert says feeding quokkas causes harm but it remains unclear whether selfies are detrimental also. Experts say it’s up to visitors to act responsibly and with respect.
Doctor Advises Americans to Carry Antidote to Save Strangers from Opioid Overdose
One of the doctors overseeing US public health says Americans need to carry a drug to reverse opioid overdoses. Surgeon General, Jerome Adams, says America loses 115 people a day, one person every 12.5 minutes, to opioid overdoses. He says this epidemic is killing more than the HIV crisis when it peaked. The National Advisory issued yesterday encourages people at risk of overdose, or around those who are, to carry naloxone or narcan to reverse the overdose effects. One naloxone syringe costs more than $30 and the nasal mist costs around $80, and is available without prescriptions.
Additional reporting by Tessa Barnett, Lillian Hanly and Maddy Matthews.
