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Everything you need to know about the world today, curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.Immigration Puts Controversial Profiling Programme on Hold
Immigration NZ has halted a controversial programme after being accused of racial profiling. The pilot data modeling programme, which has run for the past 18 months, targeted potential overstayers. It used a number of factors to determine immigrants’ likelihood of breaching their visa conditions. INZ compliance and investigations area manager Alistair Murray told RNZ that ethnicity was taken into account, leading to concerns about racial profiling and discrimination. But Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has since insisted neither race nor nationality were used as criteria.Labour Warns of Budget Expectations
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has indicated New Zealanders should not be expecting huge new spends in the upcoming budget, and is blaming public sector underfunding by the last government. Labour says that the main focus of this budget has been the "restructuring" core services. The Prime Minister says that National prioritised budget surplus over the wellbeing of New Zealanders, and they did not know National had left the budget "this bad". National Party finance spokesperson Amy Adams says that Labour should be thanking National for the shape the economy is in instead of trying to cover up that they cannot give what they have promised.Northcote By-election Ramps Up
The by-election for Northcote will be held on Saturday, June 9. The seat was held by National's former Health Minister Jonathan Coleman, who resigned in March. Labour says they will be contesting the by-election and will begin their candidate selection soon. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that they will put up a strong fight for that seat. National's candidate nominations closed on Tuesday. Party president Peter Goodfellow says a shortlist of five will be selected before the final selection next week.Timaru Fire Contained
A fishing ship fire in Timaru Port last night has been contained, but fire crews will stay on board through the day as a precaution. 10 fire crews fought the fire on the Dong Won 701 fishing vessel last night. The 80-metre long vessel remains docked at the South Canterbury port, where the fire took place. Three of the crew members have been treated for smoke inhalation in the aftermath of the fire.Far-Right Hungarian PM Re-Elected
The Prime Minister of Hungary has been re-elected for his third term in office. Campaigning on an anti-immigration platform, Viktor Orban's Fisdez party was projected to win a landslide in the parliamentary election, winning 133 seats out of 199. Anti-EU politicians, such as France's Marine Le Pen, have congratulated Orban on his victory. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also congratulated Orban, and says she is willing to talk on migration issues despite their differences.US Senator Gives Birth
US Senator Tammy Duckworth has given birth to a daughter, making her the first sitting female US senator to give birth while in office. An Iraq War veteran, Duckworth previously made history when she became the first woman with disabilities elected to the US Senate. The 50-year-old has two artificial legs after an Iraq helicopter crash in 2004 led to amputation. Duckworth has authored several bills to help new mothers this year, including one that will make airports offer a place for women to breastfeed or pump milk.Russia Denies Evidence Chemical Weapons Used in Syria
Russia is denying claims made by the UK, USA and France that there is evidence of a chemical weapons attack in Syria. Donald Trump has announced that the US and France will be making "major" decisions in the next 48 hours, but have yet to supply any evidence of a chemical attack. The Syrian-American Medical Society says the hundreds that have been injured in Douma show signs of a chemical attack. Medics say that it is impossible to know how many were killed, though the number is in the dozens.Cosby Retrial Begins
The start of Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial has been publicised by a topless protester interrupting his entry to court. A woman scaled the barriers at the Philadelphia Court House and moved towards Cosby before being detained by security. The protester had the words "Women’s Lives Matter" painted large in red on her body, along with other smaller messages. 80-year-old Cosby, who says his sexual contact with women was consensual, is facing three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.Australian PM Under Pressure
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's coalition government is facing mounting pressure due to losing the last 30 opinion polls. Turnbull used this same poll result to replace Tony Abbott as Prime Minister in 2015. He has been ignoring the significance of the survey, saying "Australians are focused on the real contest which is the type of country you want to be." Abbott has commented that Turnbull needs to explain why poor survey results do not apply to his government as they did to Abbott's. Turnbull maintains a slim lead in the polls as the preferred prime minister.Additional reporting by Leonard Powell, Grace Watson, Justin Wong
LOCAL NEWS
Immigration NZ has halted a controversial programme after being accused of racial profiling. The pilot data modeling programme, which has run for the past 18 months, targeted potential overstayers. It used a number of factors to determine immigrants’ likelihood of breaching their visa conditions. INZ compliance and investigations area manager Alistair Murray told RNZ that ethnicity was taken into account, leading to concerns about racial profiling and discrimination. But Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has since insisted neither race nor nationality were used as criteria.Labour Warns of Budget Expectations
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has indicated New Zealanders should not be expecting huge new spends in the upcoming budget, and is blaming public sector underfunding by the last government. Labour says that the main focus of this budget has been the "restructuring" core services. The Prime Minister says that National prioritised budget surplus over the wellbeing of New Zealanders, and they did not know National had left the budget "this bad". National Party finance spokesperson Amy Adams says that Labour should be thanking National for the shape the economy is in instead of trying to cover up that they cannot give what they have promised.
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The by-election for Northcote will be held on Saturday, June 9. The seat was held by National's former Health Minister Jonathan Coleman, who resigned in March. Labour says they will be contesting the by-election and will begin their candidate selection soon. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that they will put up a strong fight for that seat. National's candidate nominations closed on Tuesday. Party president Peter Goodfellow says a shortlist of five will be selected before the final selection next week.Timaru Fire Contained
A fishing ship fire in Timaru Port last night has been contained, but fire crews will stay on board through the day as a precaution. 10 fire crews fought the fire on the Dong Won 701 fishing vessel last night. The 80-metre long vessel remains docked at the South Canterbury port, where the fire took place. Three of the crew members have been treated for smoke inhalation in the aftermath of the fire.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The Prime Minister of Hungary has been re-elected for his third term in office. Campaigning on an anti-immigration platform, Viktor Orban's Fisdez party was projected to win a landslide in the parliamentary election, winning 133 seats out of 199. Anti-EU politicians, such as France's Marine Le Pen, have congratulated Orban on his victory. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also congratulated Orban, and says she is willing to talk on migration issues despite their differences.US Senator Gives Birth
US Senator Tammy Duckworth has given birth to a daughter, making her the first sitting female US senator to give birth while in office. An Iraq War veteran, Duckworth previously made history when she became the first woman with disabilities elected to the US Senate. The 50-year-old has two artificial legs after an Iraq helicopter crash in 2004 led to amputation. Duckworth has authored several bills to help new mothers this year, including one that will make airports offer a place for women to breastfeed or pump milk.Russia Denies Evidence Chemical Weapons Used in Syria
Russia is denying claims made by the UK, USA and France that there is evidence of a chemical weapons attack in Syria. Donald Trump has announced that the US and France will be making "major" decisions in the next 48 hours, but have yet to supply any evidence of a chemical attack. The Syrian-American Medical Society says the hundreds that have been injured in Douma show signs of a chemical attack. Medics say that it is impossible to know how many were killed, though the number is in the dozens.Cosby Retrial Begins
The start of Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial has been publicised by a topless protester interrupting his entry to court. A woman scaled the barriers at the Philadelphia Court House and moved towards Cosby before being detained by security. The protester had the words "Women’s Lives Matter" painted large in red on her body, along with other smaller messages. 80-year-old Cosby, who says his sexual contact with women was consensual, is facing three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.Australian PM Under Pressure
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's coalition government is facing mounting pressure due to losing the last 30 opinion polls. Turnbull used this same poll result to replace Tony Abbott as Prime Minister in 2015. He has been ignoring the significance of the survey, saying "Australians are focused on the real contest which is the type of country you want to be." Abbott has commented that Turnbull needs to explain why poor survey results do not apply to his government as they did to Abbott's. Turnbull maintains a slim lead in the polls as the preferred prime minister.Additional reporting by Leonard Powell, Grace Watson, Justin Wong