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Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by 95 bFM and VICE NZ.New Zealand Awaits New Government Announcement
New Zealand should find out who its new Government is today. Winston Peters has been holding his cards close to his chest following this week's coalition talks, but has indicated he'll make an announcement later this afternoon. Both National and Labour say they've had no indication of which way it might go, and it's unclear whether either of the parties will know beforehand. Over on the left, the Green Party says it won't hold anything up if NZ First chooses a Labour led–government. Labour would need the Greens to form a government with NZ First, and the Greens do need to obtain approval from their 170 consulting members to enter a coalition. Greens leader James Shaw said earlier this month that the party is focused on forming a government with Labour.35 Hospitalised in Mumps Outbreak
Public health officials are calling on Auckland health boards to adopt a broad-scale campaign of Mumps immunisations. Auckland now has 637 confirmed or probable cases of Mumps, compared to 300 early last month. So far 35 of those cases have resulted in hospitalisation. The most at risk are Māori and Pacific communities aged between 10-29 living in poorer communities in Auckland. About 77 percent of this group are not fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine. To stem the tide, health experts recommend a free round of Mumps immunisation top-ups. Regional health service clinical director Julia Peters says offering people within this age group the vaccine for free would be the quickest way to end the outbreak.More Aucklanders Leaving Their Cars At Home
Recent reports show more Aucklanders are using public transport, with the number of trips up by six million from the previous year. Use of public transport has been rising since 2002, peaking this year at 90 million trips. Auckland Transport spokesperson James Ireland told 95bFM news the numbers show Aucklanders are embracing public transport more than ever before. Auckland Transport plans to combat congestion by introducing a new bus network and more electric trains.Housing Related Costs Drive Inflation
Rising New Zealand housing and food costs are driving increased inflation. Consumer prices rose 0.5 percent in the last quarter, which ended on September 30th. Annual inflation was capped at 1.9 percent. Those numbers were higher then the 0.4 and 1.8 percent figures predicted. Prices for new housing have risen 5.4 percent in the current financial year and rental prices are up 0.5 percent in Auckland. Wellington saw the largest rent increase at 1 percent, which is the city's biggest rental increase since 2008. The Reserve Bank is in charge of keeping annual inflation between 1 and 3 percent.Freedom Campers Still Causing Outrage
Wellington council is set to increase the number of freedom camper spaces in Evans Bay by 30. But locals are opposing the move, saying they're sick of seeing campers getting dressed in public. Resident Paul Yardley says he's outraged the council plans to extend the campgrounds without informing local tenants. Wellington Council says they will be open for consultations on plans between November 7 until early December.Visa Changes About to Affect Dairy Industry
Visa changes could affect New Zealand's Dairy industry and leave farm jobs unfilled, migrant workers are saying. In July, the government changed laws to force skilled migrants out of the country after three years if they're earning less than $41,500 annually. Leader in the dairy industry, Roberto Bolanos says the migrants are running farms, but on paper they're considered herd managers. The dairy industry is working to convince Immigration to recognise the specific role of migrant farmers.Waitangi Tribunal Declines Hearing Over Ngāpuhi Talks
The Waitangi Tribunal has turned down a request for a hearing over the Crown's withdrawal from pre-settlement talks with Ngāpuhi. Prime Minister Bill English announced in June that the government was stepping back for four months from discussions. The crown said delay was due to conflict between two different groups in the Northland iwi over who should represent the them when negotiating with the crown. An update from the government was promised to the tribunal by mid November.Trump Accused of 'Crazy' Call to Military Widow
Representative Frederica Wilson said she overheard a call from the president to the widow of Sergeant La David Johnson, one of four US servicemen killed in Niger earlier this month, and that Trump told Johnson's wife that her husband "knew what he signed up for," a remark Wilson described as "so insensitive." Trump denied the allegation on Twitter, but the man's mother later confirmed it.President Xi Jinping Claims Chinese Exceptionalism
The Chinese leader vowed not to "mechanically copy the political systems of other countries" as he kicked off the Communist Party Congress, a major political session that only occurs twice a decade. Jinping also said "socialism with Chinese characteristics has crossed the threshold into a new era." The party selects the next Politburo at the end of the gathering.Bombing Kills at Least Seven in Pakistan
At least six police officers and one civilian were killed Wednesday when a suicide bomber in a car struck a police force truck in Quetta. At least 22 others were injured in the explosion. No group has yet claimed to have carried out the attack.Kenyan Electoral Official Leaves the Country
Roselyn Akombe quit her post on Kenya's electoral commission and fled for the US. Kenya is set to hold a rerun of a disputed presidential election next week, but Akombe said the commission was in disarray and "can surely not guarantee a credible election… I do not want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity."Explosion Rocks Swedish Police Station
A station building in the city of Helsingborg was badly damaged when a bomb went off in the early hours of Wednesday morning. No one was injured. Police chief Dan Eliasson described it as "an attack against society," but the bombing was not yet being treated as a terrorist incident.Reporting by Mark Casson, Lillian Hanly, Jenn Tamati and Leah Garcia-Purves.
LOCAL NEWS
New Zealand should find out who its new Government is today. Winston Peters has been holding his cards close to his chest following this week's coalition talks, but has indicated he'll make an announcement later this afternoon. Both National and Labour say they've had no indication of which way it might go, and it's unclear whether either of the parties will know beforehand. Over on the left, the Green Party says it won't hold anything up if NZ First chooses a Labour led–government. Labour would need the Greens to form a government with NZ First, and the Greens do need to obtain approval from their 170 consulting members to enter a coalition. Greens leader James Shaw said earlier this month that the party is focused on forming a government with Labour.35 Hospitalised in Mumps Outbreak
Public health officials are calling on Auckland health boards to adopt a broad-scale campaign of Mumps immunisations. Auckland now has 637 confirmed or probable cases of Mumps, compared to 300 early last month. So far 35 of those cases have resulted in hospitalisation. The most at risk are Māori and Pacific communities aged between 10-29 living in poorer communities in Auckland. About 77 percent of this group are not fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine. To stem the tide, health experts recommend a free round of Mumps immunisation top-ups. Regional health service clinical director Julia Peters says offering people within this age group the vaccine for free would be the quickest way to end the outbreak.
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Recent reports show more Aucklanders are using public transport, with the number of trips up by six million from the previous year. Use of public transport has been rising since 2002, peaking this year at 90 million trips. Auckland Transport spokesperson James Ireland told 95bFM news the numbers show Aucklanders are embracing public transport more than ever before. Auckland Transport plans to combat congestion by introducing a new bus network and more electric trains.Housing Related Costs Drive Inflation
Rising New Zealand housing and food costs are driving increased inflation. Consumer prices rose 0.5 percent in the last quarter, which ended on September 30th. Annual inflation was capped at 1.9 percent. Those numbers were higher then the 0.4 and 1.8 percent figures predicted. Prices for new housing have risen 5.4 percent in the current financial year and rental prices are up 0.5 percent in Auckland. Wellington saw the largest rent increase at 1 percent, which is the city's biggest rental increase since 2008. The Reserve Bank is in charge of keeping annual inflation between 1 and 3 percent.Freedom Campers Still Causing Outrage
Wellington council is set to increase the number of freedom camper spaces in Evans Bay by 30. But locals are opposing the move, saying they're sick of seeing campers getting dressed in public. Resident Paul Yardley says he's outraged the council plans to extend the campgrounds without informing local tenants. Wellington Council says they will be open for consultations on plans between November 7 until early December.
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Visa changes could affect New Zealand's Dairy industry and leave farm jobs unfilled, migrant workers are saying. In July, the government changed laws to force skilled migrants out of the country after three years if they're earning less than $41,500 annually. Leader in the dairy industry, Roberto Bolanos says the migrants are running farms, but on paper they're considered herd managers. The dairy industry is working to convince Immigration to recognise the specific role of migrant farmers.Waitangi Tribunal Declines Hearing Over Ngāpuhi Talks
The Waitangi Tribunal has turned down a request for a hearing over the Crown's withdrawal from pre-settlement talks with Ngāpuhi. Prime Minister Bill English announced in June that the government was stepping back for four months from discussions. The crown said delay was due to conflict between two different groups in the Northland iwi over who should represent the them when negotiating with the crown. An update from the government was promised to the tribunal by mid November.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Representative Frederica Wilson said she overheard a call from the president to the widow of Sergeant La David Johnson, one of four US servicemen killed in Niger earlier this month, and that Trump told Johnson's wife that her husband "knew what he signed up for," a remark Wilson described as "so insensitive." Trump denied the allegation on Twitter, but the man's mother later confirmed it.President Xi Jinping Claims Chinese Exceptionalism
The Chinese leader vowed not to "mechanically copy the political systems of other countries" as he kicked off the Communist Party Congress, a major political session that only occurs twice a decade. Jinping also said "socialism with Chinese characteristics has crossed the threshold into a new era." The party selects the next Politburo at the end of the gathering.Bombing Kills at Least Seven in Pakistan
At least six police officers and one civilian were killed Wednesday when a suicide bomber in a car struck a police force truck in Quetta. At least 22 others were injured in the explosion. No group has yet claimed to have carried out the attack.Kenyan Electoral Official Leaves the Country
Roselyn Akombe quit her post on Kenya's electoral commission and fled for the US. Kenya is set to hold a rerun of a disputed presidential election next week, but Akombe said the commission was in disarray and "can surely not guarantee a credible election… I do not want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity."Explosion Rocks Swedish Police Station
A station building in the city of Helsingborg was badly damaged when a bomb went off in the early hours of Wednesday morning. No one was injured. Police chief Dan Eliasson described it as "an attack against society," but the bombing was not yet being treated as a terrorist incident.Reporting by Mark Casson, Lillian Hanly, Jenn Tamati and Leah Garcia-Purves.