Everything you need to know about the world today, curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.

LOCAL NEWS

Emergency Department Mental Health Care Inadequate, Doctors Say
Emergency doctors are calling for major improvements to the care of patients with severe mental and behavioural conditions. A survey by Australasian College of Emergency Medicine found only 3.7 percent of emergency department patients in New Zealand had a mental health condition. But those same patients made up the 25 percent of patients involved in a so-called “access block” where hospitals are unable to move patients from ED into ward beds. Waikato Hospital emergency department head John Bonning says it is time to change things when our most vulnerable people are getting caught in access blocks, with EDs poorly designed to cater for mental health patients.

Man Returns to Selling Māori ‘Citizenship Certificates’
A man known as Chief Tupai has returned to selling citizenship certificates that aren’t recognised in parliamentary law to overstaying immigrants who want to stay in the country. Amato Pa tira Hoani Tohu Kake Akarana-Rewi was convicted on obtaining by deception in May 2012. But 84 year old Akarana-Rewi is again selling Aotearoa citizenship certificates for $100 to $300.The certificate is given to the receiver at a ceremony at his home and promises to absolve the holder from Pakeha law, including paying taxes, and allow them to stay in the country indefinitely. Immigration New Zealand says the certificates are illegitimate with Akrana-Rewi saying his work is legal under Māori Law with Māori retaining sovereignty under the 1835 Declaration of Independence. Akarana-Rewi believes however that Immigration NZ are the ones breaking the law for failing to recognise the Declaration.

Auckland Commuters to Face Train Delays
Thousands of Auckland commuters will face train delays for the next three weeks, with timetable changes caused by train staff refusing to work overtime. Trains on the Southern, Eastern and Western lines will come every 20 minutes during rush hours. The Onehunga and Pukekohe weekday train services as well as bus and ferry services will not be affected by the industrial action. Auckland Transport says 10,000 people use train services during peak times, and the industrial action also coincides with students returning to university this week. Auckland Transport says more buses will be running and people should consider travelling at off–peak times.

First Pasifika Woman Sworn Into Auckland Council
On Friday the Auckland Council Governing Body meeting swore in a new councillor representing the Maungakiekie-Taamaki ward. Josephine Bartley is the first Pasifika woman to be elected to Auckland Council and spoke of the importance of the community, environment and supporting young people in her maiden speech. “I love our communities of Maungakiekie-Taamaki—that’s why I stood for councillor, “ Bartley said. “I’m all about community, but we have to think about the Auckland we leave behind—so that the next generation are not having to restore things because as decision makers we didn’t think about the future.” At the same meeting the council held a unanimous vote requesting the Government introduce legislation banning the sale of fireworks to the general public.

No Difference in New TPP, Critics Say
Critics of the Comprehensive Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership are calling the trade deal an ironic rebrand of the TPP. It’s Our Future NZ says aside from 22 suspensions, the text released last week is exactly the same as the text Labour and NZ First marched against when in opposition. Oliver Hailes, spokesperson for the organisation, says the policy is written in the interest of foreign investors and not workers, public health or the environment. New Zealand is going to give up important aspects of its sovereignty for a trifling increase in GDP, Hailes says.

TradeMe to Regulate Sale of Bees
TradeMe is introducing tougher restrictions around the sale of bees and beehives on the website to ensure people are complying with the law. By law beekeepers and their hives must be registered to control the spread of pests and diseases that could harm the bee population. On TradeMe there has been no requirement for people selling bees to provide their registration number. Chief Executive of Apiculture New Zealand Karin Kos says that beekeeper registration is important for controlling the spread of disease and is a legal requirement. From the March 12, bees and beehives will go on TradeMe’s restricted items list, which means sellers will have to include their registration number on their listing.

INTERNATIONAL

Air Strikes in Syria Continue Despite Ceasefire Resolution
Air strikes have continued in Syria after a ceasefire resolution was passed by the UN security council on Friday. For a week the Syrian government has attacked the East Ghouta rebel enclave near the capital of Damascus. Hundreds of people have died in the attacks. The latest attacks include a ground offensive by the Syrian government that began just hours after the UN urged the 30 day truce to begin. On Sunday, France and Germany called on Russia to encourage the Syrian government to honour the ceasefire, which was agreed on to allow for aid deliveries and evacuations. Action against large jihadist rebel groups are not included in the UN truce.

Chinese Government Pushing for Unlimited Presidency Terms
China’s governing communist party has proposed removing a constitutional clause to allow Xi Jiping to extend his presidency beyond 2025. The constitutional clause currently limits China’s presidencies to two five–year terms, and removing it would mean Xi could remain as leader after he is due to step down. The limiting clause was introduced in the 1990s when veteran leader Deng Xiao Ping sought to avoid a repeat of the violent Mao era. Xi is known for disrupting the system, with the introduction of his anti-corruption campaign, the One Belt One Road global trade initiative and plans to erase poverty in China by 2020. An editorial in China’s state–run Global Times says that the change does not mean “that the Chinese president will have a lifelong tenure”.

Jerusalem Church Closed in Protest of Israeli Legislation
Church leaders in Jerusalem have closed the Church of Holy Sepulchre to protest new Israeli tax policy and proposed property law. The church is considered Christianity’s holiest site, and in a joint statement leaders of the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Churches said the church would be closed until further notice in protest. The bill allows the Israeli state to control church property leased to private companies. The Churches’ joint statement calls the bill racist and discriminatory that targets Christian communities, and condemns a new tax law that takes aim at Church property considered by Jerusalem authorities to be commercial. An Israel cabinet committee has delayed consideration of the property bill by a week.

Time Running Out for Benjamin Netanyahu
Analysts say Benjamin Netanyahu’s time in office is numbered, with the question no longer whether he will be forced out of office but how soon. Netanyahu will be questioned by police in two new corruption probes this week. According to Israeli media, senior members in his party have started calling him a “dead duck.” Netanyahu’s former bureau chief agreed to be a state witness providing information on a new and more serious allegation: that the prime minister blocked regulation of Israel’s telecoms giant, Bezeq, in return for positive coverage of himself and his family from its news website.

NRA and Trump Clash Over Gun Legislation
The NRA and President Donald Trump seem to be at odds over Trump’s possible endorsement to raise the legal age to buy a rifle to 21. Both the NRA and Trump are suggesting the other will switch their position on the matter. Trump stated the legal age should be 21 and that the NRA will back it. But the NRA opposes that policy, saying that Trump’s proposal is just a proposal. The NRA spent US$30million on Trump’s electoral campaign.

Children’s Pencil Struggles Due to Technology, Doctors Warn
Doctors are warning that children are finding it harder to use pens and pencils correctly due to an excessive use of technology. Children’s finger muscles aren’t developing sufficiently, due to overuse of touchscreen phones and tablets. Sally Payne is the head paediatric occupational therapist at the Heart of England foundation NHS Trust. Payne says children have lost the hand strength and dexterity they had 10 years ago, and need more opportunities to develop strong control of the fine muscles in their fingers.

Additional reporting: Jemima Huston, Jean Bell, Lillian Hanly