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Everything you need to know about the world today, curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.Selling Homes to Foreigners Illegal
New governmental regulations make it illegal to sell a house to anyone who is not a New Zealand Citizen or resident. The policy was one of Labour's pre-election promises, and means that homeowners who privately sell their property to an overseas buyer could be fined thousands of dollars, along with anyone who aids with an illegal purchase. NZ Realtors Network chair Mark Coffey says it is a potential pitfall for unaware sellers, and says private sellers may be targeted by overseas buyers trying to avoid the restrictions. A spokesperson for associate Finance Minister David Parker says private sellers would only be fined if they knowingly sold to an overseas buyer.Government to Scrap ‘Some’ Three Month Work Trials
The government has announced changes to the 90-day work trials as part of an overhaul of employment law. Under the new law the trials will remain for small and medium sized businesses, but larger firms will not be able to use a probationary period. Richard Wagstaff, President of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, largely backs the changes, but says they should apply should all businesses regardless of size. Wagstaff told 95bFM reporters: “We’re concerned that it remains for workplaces of less than 20 people and we don’t see that there should be a double standard.” The legislation will also affect collective bargaining rights such as "the restoration of the duty to conclude bargaining". Chloe King, a worker rights campaigner, told RNZ that the government should scrap the 90 day trials completely.Calls to Guarantee Jobs for Nurses
Health Minister David Clark, has ordered officials to investigate what can be done to aid new nurses into jobs. This follows the Nurses Union calling for guaranteed placements through the national recruitment program for all new nurses after they graduate. The programme matches up new graduates with district health board jobs around the country, but around 400 new nurses miss out due to lack of available places. Nurses Organisation spokesperson Hilary Graham-Smith says the programme gives new nurses vital support during the start of their career and that new doctors don’t have to contend with lack of first year placement opportunities.Out of the Frying Pan & Into the Flames
The heat wave hitting parts of the country is disrupting daily affairs. Masterton is one of the worst spots affected, experiencing a 24 degree average through January. Mayor of Masterton, Lyn Patterson, told RNZ a lot of children aren’t venturing into town as normal because it's simply too hot adding that the roads are also suffering the immense heat, causing the tar seals to melt. Those that braved the heat of the township yesterday had to take shelter under shop verandas and in cafes.No More Sexual Orientation Testing in the EU
The EU's top court has ruled out psychological testing of asylum seekers to determine whether they are homosexual. The ruling made by The European Court of Justice is binding in all 28 EU states. While sexual orientation testing is controversial, it is sometimes used when assessing asylum claims. One case where the ruling will come into play is with a Nigerian man who feared persecution in Nigeria for being gay. He submitted an asylum application in Hungary in 2015, but the application was denied after a psychologist failed to confirm his homosexuality. The Hungarian courts now must reconsider his case in light of the ruling.Myanmar Panel a ‘Whitewash’
A veteran US diplomat has resigned from an international panel set up by Myanmar to offer advice on the Rohingya crisis, calling the panel a “whitewash.” Former member of the Bill Clinton administration Bill Richardson says Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi lacks “moral leadership.” Richardson and Aung San Suu Kyi had a disagreement after Richardson bought up two Reuters reporters on trial for allegedly breaching the country’s Official Secrets Act. According to Richardson, Aung San Suu Kyi took offence to this and said the case “was no part of the work of the advisory board.” Richardson’s resignation follows the advisory board visiting the western Rakhine State where nearly 700,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled since August last year.Attacks Fuelled by ‘Sorcery’ Allegations
Claims of sorcery are believed to be a factor behind two attacks in Papua New Guinea. Villagers of Port Moresby attacked a man who they claim is responsible for the death of the country’s late rugby league star, Kato Ottio. People involved in the attack put his death down to ‘sanguma’ or sorcery. Many believe in Papua New guinea that sorcery operates through someone with supernatural powers to perform mostly malicious acts on other people. Weeks earlier Papua New Guinea’s Chief of Justice, Salamo Injia, was trapped at a roadblock by 50 people who attacked the vehicle he was in. This was in retaliation to his tribe accusing a man from another tribe of using sorcery. Inja was compensated 10,000 kina and food stuffs by the tribe responsible for the attack.Caste Violence in India
The release of a Bollywood film has been met with public outrage in India. Violent protests from Hindu right-wing groups have sprung up across five Indian states. The protesters are challenging the release of the film ‘Padmavat’ for allegedly disrespecting the sentiments of the community. Members of Karni Sena, a Rajput caste group, have vandalised private and public properties, along with cinema halls. The film has been hounded by protests since the Supreme Court lifted a ban on the film and allowed for its release last Thursday.End is Nigh-er
A panel from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists is saying the world is as dangerous now as it was at the height of the Cold War. A statement from the panel stated: ‘Hyperbolic rhetoric and provocative actions by both sides have increased the possibility of nuclear war by accident or miscalculation’ The symbolic Doomsday clock, created in 1947, takes into account the threat of nuclear war, climate change and other man-made means of destruction. It has been shifted closer to midnight, now reading 11:58 signifying the end of the world is in two minutes. The last time it was this close to midnight the US and the USSR were regularly testing atomic bombs. The US opting out of the Paris Climate Deal has also influenced the shift, with the last 30 second shift occurring just after Donald Trump became president.Additional reporting by Reuben McLaren , Ollie Powell and Jean Bell
LOCAL NEWS
New governmental regulations make it illegal to sell a house to anyone who is not a New Zealand Citizen or resident. The policy was one of Labour's pre-election promises, and means that homeowners who privately sell their property to an overseas buyer could be fined thousands of dollars, along with anyone who aids with an illegal purchase. NZ Realtors Network chair Mark Coffey says it is a potential pitfall for unaware sellers, and says private sellers may be targeted by overseas buyers trying to avoid the restrictions. A spokesperson for associate Finance Minister David Parker says private sellers would only be fined if they knowingly sold to an overseas buyer.Government to Scrap ‘Some’ Three Month Work Trials
The government has announced changes to the 90-day work trials as part of an overhaul of employment law. Under the new law the trials will remain for small and medium sized businesses, but larger firms will not be able to use a probationary period. Richard Wagstaff, President of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, largely backs the changes, but says they should apply should all businesses regardless of size. Wagstaff told 95bFM reporters: “We’re concerned that it remains for workplaces of less than 20 people and we don’t see that there should be a double standard.” The legislation will also affect collective bargaining rights such as "the restoration of the duty to conclude bargaining". Chloe King, a worker rights campaigner, told RNZ that the government should scrap the 90 day trials completely.
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Health Minister David Clark, has ordered officials to investigate what can be done to aid new nurses into jobs. This follows the Nurses Union calling for guaranteed placements through the national recruitment program for all new nurses after they graduate. The programme matches up new graduates with district health board jobs around the country, but around 400 new nurses miss out due to lack of available places. Nurses Organisation spokesperson Hilary Graham-Smith says the programme gives new nurses vital support during the start of their career and that new doctors don’t have to contend with lack of first year placement opportunities.Out of the Frying Pan & Into the Flames
The heat wave hitting parts of the country is disrupting daily affairs. Masterton is one of the worst spots affected, experiencing a 24 degree average through January. Mayor of Masterton, Lyn Patterson, told RNZ a lot of children aren’t venturing into town as normal because it's simply too hot adding that the roads are also suffering the immense heat, causing the tar seals to melt. Those that braved the heat of the township yesterday had to take shelter under shop verandas and in cafes.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The EU's top court has ruled out psychological testing of asylum seekers to determine whether they are homosexual. The ruling made by The European Court of Justice is binding in all 28 EU states. While sexual orientation testing is controversial, it is sometimes used when assessing asylum claims. One case where the ruling will come into play is with a Nigerian man who feared persecution in Nigeria for being gay. He submitted an asylum application in Hungary in 2015, but the application was denied after a psychologist failed to confirm his homosexuality. The Hungarian courts now must reconsider his case in light of the ruling.Myanmar Panel a ‘Whitewash’
A veteran US diplomat has resigned from an international panel set up by Myanmar to offer advice on the Rohingya crisis, calling the panel a “whitewash.” Former member of the Bill Clinton administration Bill Richardson says Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi lacks “moral leadership.” Richardson and Aung San Suu Kyi had a disagreement after Richardson bought up two Reuters reporters on trial for allegedly breaching the country’s Official Secrets Act. According to Richardson, Aung San Suu Kyi took offence to this and said the case “was no part of the work of the advisory board.” Richardson’s resignation follows the advisory board visiting the western Rakhine State where nearly 700,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled since August last year.Attacks Fuelled by ‘Sorcery’ Allegations
Claims of sorcery are believed to be a factor behind two attacks in Papua New Guinea. Villagers of Port Moresby attacked a man who they claim is responsible for the death of the country’s late rugby league star, Kato Ottio. People involved in the attack put his death down to ‘sanguma’ or sorcery. Many believe in Papua New guinea that sorcery operates through someone with supernatural powers to perform mostly malicious acts on other people. Weeks earlier Papua New Guinea’s Chief of Justice, Salamo Injia, was trapped at a roadblock by 50 people who attacked the vehicle he was in. This was in retaliation to his tribe accusing a man from another tribe of using sorcery. Inja was compensated 10,000 kina and food stuffs by the tribe responsible for the attack.Caste Violence in India
The release of a Bollywood film has been met with public outrage in India. Violent protests from Hindu right-wing groups have sprung up across five Indian states. The protesters are challenging the release of the film ‘Padmavat’ for allegedly disrespecting the sentiments of the community. Members of Karni Sena, a Rajput caste group, have vandalised private and public properties, along with cinema halls. The film has been hounded by protests since the Supreme Court lifted a ban on the film and allowed for its release last Thursday.End is Nigh-er
A panel from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists is saying the world is as dangerous now as it was at the height of the Cold War. A statement from the panel stated: ‘Hyperbolic rhetoric and provocative actions by both sides have increased the possibility of nuclear war by accident or miscalculation’ The symbolic Doomsday clock, created in 1947, takes into account the threat of nuclear war, climate change and other man-made means of destruction. It has been shifted closer to midnight, now reading 11:58 signifying the end of the world is in two minutes. The last time it was this close to midnight the US and the USSR were regularly testing atomic bombs. The US opting out of the Paris Climate Deal has also influenced the shift, with the last 30 second shift occurring just after Donald Trump became president.Additional reporting by Reuben McLaren , Ollie Powell and Jean Bell