All the news you need to know today curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.
LOCAL NEWS
More Wild Weather to Come for Northland
While most of New Zealand is through the worst of the weather that’s been coming in, Northland is line for another hit. Some areas of New Zealand have been splashed with up to 250mm of rain in 24 hours, and other areas, such as Northland and Taranaki, still have a heavy rain warning in place until midday. MetService meteorologist Tom Bell says, “The rain has generally eased up for the North Island, apart from heavy rain in the Northern areas.
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Discarded Ash Cause of Wanaka Fire
The large fire in Wanaka earlier this month was apparently caused by the discarded ashes of an outdoor fire. The blaze on January 3 attracted the attention of eight helicopters and more than 40 firefighters. It took fire services two days to bring the blaze under control. Fire and Emergency regional manager Mike Grant says the person responsible had been allowed to light the fire and followed all correct procedures in extinguishing it. Grant adds that the embers were put into a bucket to cool for two days, but because of the dry conditions, it simply wasn’t enough. An investigation by Fire and Safety New Zealand took two weeks to uncover the cause of the fire.
Disaster Response “Fly-In Squads” among Governmental Recommendations
A governmental report has recommended setting up a national agency with “fly-in squads” to help respond to emergencies and natural disasters. The ministerial review was commissioned by the previous National-led government following disasters such as the 2016 Kaikoura earthquakes. The report says a national agency would help the services run more effectively as emergency response roles are currently spread out across different sectors of civil defence, councils, and the government. It would also bolster training of staff, which is currently reportedly patchy. The government will consider the report as it meets with councils, iwi, and other groups in the coming months.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Ukraine Declares Russian Occupation
On Thursday the Parliament of Ukraine declared the far east region of the country is occupied by Russia, a move Moscow warned could trigger a new war. The parliament implemented the “Donbass reintegration law,” referring to an area where Russia supported separatist movements four years ago. The bill calls Russia an “aggressor” state, with parts of Donbass under “temporary occupation” and outlines Russia’s legal responsibilities. Russia’s foreign ministry has condemned the move and says it risked the reignition of war.
UN Concerns Over Turkey Civil Rights
United Nations experts are urging Turkey not to extend the special legal conditions it has taken under its declared state of emergency. Officials voiced concern that Turkey is using these measures to crack down on civil liberties, journalistic freedom, academia, and judicial impartiality. 95bFM spoke to University of Auckland politics lecturer Thomas Gregory, who says these are indicative of a long-term trend. “The coup in some respects is the perfect excuse to try and maximise these attempts to stifle opposition. There was already moves to limit freedom of expression in Turkey,” he said. The conditions have been in place since the attempted coup in July 2016 and are due to expire today.
US Cuts Funding to UNRWA
The US has cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), affecting millions of people in refugee camps. UNRWA is responsible for health, education, and waste collection across many countries in the Middle East, including Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. Abdel Hafiz, a resident of the Jalozone Refugee camp in Gaza, says they are reliant on UNRWA. “It would be a big problem without UNRWA, if the agency wasn’t here for just two days you’d see trash piling up, we rely on UNRWA”. Gaza especially would face backlash from funding cuts, as the ongoing Israeli siege already creates shortages of food, electricity, and other essentials. The US is the largest contributor to UNRWA but has cut its funding down from $350 million to $60 million. Other Contributors to UNRWA include the EU, UK, Saudi Arabia, and Germany.
WWF Helps with Consumer Tech for Info on Fish
The World Wildlife Fund is helping to introduce new technology that provides more information about the fish we are consuming. The Blockchain Supply Chain Traceability Project will tag tuna that is caught and trace the ethical standards of the product. Western Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Programme Manager Bubba Cook says consumers will be able to scan the QR code in order to gain information on the product. “The goal is ultimately to have a system where a consumer would be able to scan the QR or potentially even have a near field communication device attached to that product,” Cook told 95bFM. The WWF hopes this new technology will reduce the consumption of illegal and unethical products
52 People Killed in Kazakhstan Bus Fire
The Kazakh Interior Ministry says 52 people have been killed after a bus caught fire in North-Western Kazakhstan. Local media is reporting that the bus was likely to have been carrying Uzbek citizens to or from Russia. It is unclear what caused the blaze, although a ministry official says the bus is an Ikarus model made in Hungry and that these buses are often decades old. The Kazakh Emergency Services Ministry says five passengers received medical assistance on the spot, while the rest were killed.
Storm Rips through Northern Europe
A vicious storm is making its way across Northern Europe, taking four lives. Wind gusts have reached 140km/h, knocking roof plates off Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of the busiest in Europe. All long-distance train services across Germany have been cancelled, with more than 300 scheduled flights failing to get off the ground.
Antelope population dropping in Kazakhstan
It is believed that the mass die-off of wild antelopes in Kazakhstan has been triggered by environmental changes. In 2015, more than 200,000 saiga antelopes died suddenly, eliminating most of the global population. While the deaths were attributed to bacterial infection, new data shows that unusually high temperatures and humidity were factors. Researchers say that environmental changes may trigger bacterial onslaughts and that there is a very high chance it will happen again. Other wildlife, including reindeer, may be susceptible to similar catastrophes.
Reporting by Reuben McLaren, Ollie Powell, and Jean Bell.
