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Everything you need to know about the world today, curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ .Countdown Reducing Plastic
Supermarket chain Countdown has initiated its plan of phasing out single-use plastic bags. Chair of Zero Wastes Network Marty Hoffart told 95bFM it is due to New Zealanders becoming tired of excessive amounts of plastic. "Most consumers are tired of plastic, all types of plastic and unnecessary packaging. I know Countdown's looking at other things they can do for the environment, but people are tired of overpackaging in plastic. They're tired of over packaging in general." Currently, ten Countdown supermarkets of the 172 across New Zealand have phased out plastic bags.Inquiry Into Illegal Migrant Workers
Immigration New Zealand has announced an inquiry into illegal migrant worker contracts. A group of migrant Filipino workers were brought to New Zealand for construction work, but have not been provided work by labour-hire firm that initially hired them. The contract by employers Allied Workforce contains an illegal clause—specifying termination if the worker engages with unions. Dennis Maga, the general secretary of First Union says Immigration New Zealand have made a "serious blunder" in allowing these contracts. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says it is a possibility that the documents were approved by Immigration New Zealand, but not a certainty.Waikato-Tainui Collaborates with KidsCan
Iwi Waikato-Tainui has made a $100,000 contribution to children's charity KidsCan. Food and health items will be provided to 23 schools across Waikato and South Auckland areas. This is the first collaboration between an iwi and KidsCan. Founder and chief executive Julie Chapman says it is bittersweet for Waikato-Tainui to recognise a large number of children were in need of support. Chapman says she has seen child poverty get worse in her 13 years running KidsCan.Farmers Fight DiseaseCattle disease is turning farmers against each otheras the number of possibly infected farms increases. Bacterial disease Mycoplasma Bovis can lead to mastitis, pneumonia and ear infections in dairy and beef cattle, but does not affect food products or humans. Dairy chairperson of Federated Farmers, Chris Lewis says M Bovis has turned neighbour against neighbour. Lewis also said there were no easy solutions, but it was essential for farmers to support one another. It will cost a predicted $1 billion to wipe out the disease, roughly $30,000 per farm.Mystery Gas strikes Auckland OfficeA central Auckland office building was evacuated for the second time yesterday due to a suspected gas leak. Yesterday morning, authorities were called to the office building after office workers suffered symptoms of nausea, headaches and vomiting. Authorities were called a second time around 5:30PM after reports of the same symptoms. Twelve people have been hospitalised and another 100 were assessed as they evacuated from the building. The building was closed overnight but the source of the fumes still remains a mystery.Fossil Fuel Fight Continues at University
Yesterday Fossil Fuel UoA hung a banner on University of Auckland to protest fossil fuel investment. The eight-metre banner read "Your Uni is funding climate change. VC Stuart McCutcheon divest now". Spokesperson from Fossil Fuel UoA Tayla Wong-Lithgow told 95bFM the organisation will not ease their protests. “We need to continue to take action to show that we are not going away and that this issue is really important for students. So we will keep on fighting until divestment decision happens." The banner was removed by University security after one hour, and there was no response from the office of the Vice-Chancellor.Trump and Korea Meet
President Trump has announced his meeting with Kim Jong-un will take place on June 12 in Singapore. Hours before, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived from North Korea with three American citizens recently release from North Korean jail. The Singapore meeting in early June will be the first meeting between the two sitting leaders of the United States and North Korea, two countries still officially at war. Donald Trump declared the news on Twitter, saying that he will try to make a “very special moment for world peace”. Pompeo said the main purpose of the meeting was a “permanent, verifiable irreversible dismantling of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program”.Israel Strikes Back
Israel's attack on Syria last night was its biggest attack since the start of the civil war there. The attack struck all of Iran's military infrastructure inside Syria and killed three people. The strike responds to Syria's 20 rockets fired at Israeli military in Golan Heights yesterday. Other countries around Europe are urging for Syria and Iran to exercise restraint, but the US says Iran holds responsibility as Israel had a right to defend itself.Violence Continues from Hawaiian Volcano
The volcanic eruption on Hawaii’s Big Island might evolve more violently. Volcanologists say the Kilauea crater could start throwing rocks and dust in the following days. Last Friday, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake opened 14 fissures on the side of the Kilauea, creating massive lava flows in the middle of a residential area. At least 36 homes have been destroyed and about 2,000 residents evacuated.Italian Coalition Government May Be on Horizon
Talks to form Italy's new government might lead to the alliance between an anti-establishment party and the far-right party. Two months after the general elections, Italy's president extended the deadline for parties to reach a deal while threatening to call for new election. The March general election did not show a clear winner. Yesterday, the leader of the far right party The League Mateo Salvini and the Five Stars Movement leader Luigi di Maio made a joint statement to pave the way for a coalition government.Decarbonised Costa Rica?
Costa Rica's new president announced a plan to abolish fossil fuels and become the world's first fully decarbonised country. President Carlos Alvarado arrived at his inauguration on Wednesday in a hydrogen-powered bus and declared by 2021, the plan would be implemented. Costa Rican energy researcher, Jose Daniel Lara, says completely eliminating fossil fuels in a few years is unrealistic, but the proposal "must be seen by its rhetoric value and not by its technical precision". Currently, Costa Rica already generates more than 99 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.Additional reporting by Tess Barnett, Ulysse Bellier, and Angus Grant.
LOCAL NEWS
Supermarket chain Countdown has initiated its plan of phasing out single-use plastic bags. Chair of Zero Wastes Network Marty Hoffart told 95bFM it is due to New Zealanders becoming tired of excessive amounts of plastic. "Most consumers are tired of plastic, all types of plastic and unnecessary packaging. I know Countdown's looking at other things they can do for the environment, but people are tired of overpackaging in plastic. They're tired of over packaging in general." Currently, ten Countdown supermarkets of the 172 across New Zealand have phased out plastic bags.Inquiry Into Illegal Migrant Workers
Immigration New Zealand has announced an inquiry into illegal migrant worker contracts. A group of migrant Filipino workers were brought to New Zealand for construction work, but have not been provided work by labour-hire firm that initially hired them. The contract by employers Allied Workforce contains an illegal clause—specifying termination if the worker engages with unions. Dennis Maga, the general secretary of First Union says Immigration New Zealand have made a "serious blunder" in allowing these contracts. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says it is a possibility that the documents were approved by Immigration New Zealand, but not a certainty.
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Iwi Waikato-Tainui has made a $100,000 contribution to children's charity KidsCan. Food and health items will be provided to 23 schools across Waikato and South Auckland areas. This is the first collaboration between an iwi and KidsCan. Founder and chief executive Julie Chapman says it is bittersweet for Waikato-Tainui to recognise a large number of children were in need of support. Chapman says she has seen child poverty get worse in her 13 years running KidsCan.Farmers Fight DiseaseCattle disease is turning farmers against each otheras the number of possibly infected farms increases. Bacterial disease Mycoplasma Bovis can lead to mastitis, pneumonia and ear infections in dairy and beef cattle, but does not affect food products or humans. Dairy chairperson of Federated Farmers, Chris Lewis says M Bovis has turned neighbour against neighbour. Lewis also said there were no easy solutions, but it was essential for farmers to support one another. It will cost a predicted $1 billion to wipe out the disease, roughly $30,000 per farm.Mystery Gas strikes Auckland OfficeA central Auckland office building was evacuated for the second time yesterday due to a suspected gas leak. Yesterday morning, authorities were called to the office building after office workers suffered symptoms of nausea, headaches and vomiting. Authorities were called a second time around 5:30PM after reports of the same symptoms. Twelve people have been hospitalised and another 100 were assessed as they evacuated from the building. The building was closed overnight but the source of the fumes still remains a mystery.
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Yesterday Fossil Fuel UoA hung a banner on University of Auckland to protest fossil fuel investment. The eight-metre banner read "Your Uni is funding climate change. VC Stuart McCutcheon divest now". Spokesperson from Fossil Fuel UoA Tayla Wong-Lithgow told 95bFM the organisation will not ease their protests. “We need to continue to take action to show that we are not going away and that this issue is really important for students. So we will keep on fighting until divestment decision happens." The banner was removed by University security after one hour, and there was no response from the office of the Vice-Chancellor.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
President Trump has announced his meeting with Kim Jong-un will take place on June 12 in Singapore. Hours before, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived from North Korea with three American citizens recently release from North Korean jail. The Singapore meeting in early June will be the first meeting between the two sitting leaders of the United States and North Korea, two countries still officially at war. Donald Trump declared the news on Twitter, saying that he will try to make a “very special moment for world peace”. Pompeo said the main purpose of the meeting was a “permanent, verifiable irreversible dismantling of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program”.Israel Strikes Back
Israel's attack on Syria last night was its biggest attack since the start of the civil war there. The attack struck all of Iran's military infrastructure inside Syria and killed three people. The strike responds to Syria's 20 rockets fired at Israeli military in Golan Heights yesterday. Other countries around Europe are urging for Syria and Iran to exercise restraint, but the US says Iran holds responsibility as Israel had a right to defend itself.Violence Continues from Hawaiian Volcano
The volcanic eruption on Hawaii’s Big Island might evolve more violently. Volcanologists say the Kilauea crater could start throwing rocks and dust in the following days. Last Friday, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake opened 14 fissures on the side of the Kilauea, creating massive lava flows in the middle of a residential area. At least 36 homes have been destroyed and about 2,000 residents evacuated.Italian Coalition Government May Be on Horizon
Talks to form Italy's new government might lead to the alliance between an anti-establishment party and the far-right party. Two months after the general elections, Italy's president extended the deadline for parties to reach a deal while threatening to call for new election. The March general election did not show a clear winner. Yesterday, the leader of the far right party The League Mateo Salvini and the Five Stars Movement leader Luigi di Maio made a joint statement to pave the way for a coalition government.Decarbonised Costa Rica?
Costa Rica's new president announced a plan to abolish fossil fuels and become the world's first fully decarbonised country. President Carlos Alvarado arrived at his inauguration on Wednesday in a hydrogen-powered bus and declared by 2021, the plan would be implemented. Costa Rican energy researcher, Jose Daniel Lara, says completely eliminating fossil fuels in a few years is unrealistic, but the proposal "must be seen by its rhetoric value and not by its technical precision". Currently, Costa Rica already generates more than 99 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.Additional reporting by Tess Barnett, Ulysse Bellier, and Angus Grant.