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Everything you need to know about the world today, curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.Zero Net Carbon Law Approaches
A new zero net carbon law means parliament will be required to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 and is set to be passed next year. But there are doubts about whether there are enough measures in place to reach the goal. The agricultural industry, responsible for at least half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, will not be bound by any restrictions until 2019. Greenpeace has responded by asking the government to ban any new mining, drilling or fracking. The government has rejected this, stating that doing so would cost New Zealand around fifteen million dollars through lost revenue. The zero net carbon bill will be introduced next October.Digital Skills Shortage Increases
A recent report conducted by New Zealand Digital Skills Forum shows a growing shortage of digital skills. Statistics show that so far the positions have been filled by immigrants rather than New Zealand graduates. NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller told 95 bFM that with the growing expansion of technology, there is a constant demand for tech students, as technology is continuously changing. “You have large organisations banks, government departments which are digitalising which means they have demand for the same kind of skills so the skills needed is growing fast”. Muller hopes to see more New Zealanders with digital skill to decrease New Zealand's reliance on foreign countries for those with digital skills.Should Your Doctor Google You?
Currently there are no restrictions on medical professional's access to their patient's social media profiles. A University of Otago Medical School study shows that the fact a doctor can google their patient to find more information about them needs to be discussed. Dr Susan Walthert of the Dunedin School of Medicine Medical Education Unit says patient targeted googling is a controversial issue. “Googling is not illegal - these are freely available internet information sites and anybody can go there. It's up to the doctor and the patient to have the sort of relationship that would enable that to happen with their consent”. The study found that more research needs to be done to see what guidelines need to be put in place to address this issue.Schools are Big Spenders in Audit
Audits of school finances for the 2016 year have named some big spenders. The auditor general has named Blockhouse Bay Intermediate school as one school with faulty accounting. The Intermediate was found to have not passed on $3700 fundraised for Fiji flood relief, instead keeping the money for school purposes. The school also spent $7000 on a party and $3000 on a leaving gift for their outgoing principal, while Puhunui school gave their principal a $8500 ride-on mower. The report said Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hoani Waititi Marae spent $249,632 of school funding on a trip for 251 students, staff, and caregivers to Rarotonga. The auditor general has stated it is unusual for schools to fund trips of such a nature. The Education Ministry has reinstated its guidance to schools about the need to specifically fundraise for students' overseas travel. The Education Ministry has reinstated its guidance to schools about the need to specifically fundraise for students' overseas travel. Board member for the Kura Mera Lee-Penehira told 95bFM the “Ministry of Education is not up to speed with understanding education in indigenous contexts, they do not value these kind of indigenous historical and whakapapa based cultural exchanges.” Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi rejects eurocentric ideals of education says Lee-Penehira, because they have failed Māori. Lee-Penehira noted that only 2 of the 29 schools in the report were Kura and that it was concerning Kura are highlighted when they are by far the minority. She says it’s a slap in the face when Kura who work hard to ensure rangatahi succeed were compared with other schools who are involved with fraudulent activity.African National Congress Gets New Party Leader
South Africa's ruling African National Congress party has chosen a new leader. Cyril Ramaphosa, an anti-apartheid activist turned politician, and currently deputy president of south africa has been chosen as new ANC leader. He will lead for the next 5 years after a close internal party election this week. Ramaphosa will replace Jacob Zuma as leader of the ANC party, which has held on to power for the last 23 years. It is presumed he will become president after the 2019 South African Election, despite the party being hit by declining support.Public death sentencing China
Ten people have been executed following a public trial in Guangdong, China. Invitations to attend were sent beforehand to city residents via social media, which thousands attended reportedly including some school uniform wearing children. Footage recorded by the crowd on mobile phones is currently in circulation on social media. China's courts have a ninety nine point nine percent persecution rate, and public trials are rare though increasing numbers have been occuring in recent years due to increased terrorist activity. The number of people executed in China per year outnumbers that of all other countries combined.First Female Bishop of London.
Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed the new Bishop of London. Pushing back at conservatives, Mullally says "I respect those that cannot accept my ministry as a Bishop because I am a woman". London was the poorest performing diocese for its small number of women in leadership roles. The new Bishop has stated that she maintains that marriage is only between a man and woman. She has also said the church needs to better support and represent minorities in its church in order to serve the church community. Bishop of London is the third highest position within the Church of England.Austria swears in far right government
Austria has sworn in western Europe's only far right government presence as protests erupt outside the presidential palace. The new chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz of the Austrian People's Party has formed a coalition deal with the Freedom party, which was formed after the second world war by former Nazi Party members, and won 26 percent of the vote in October's election, coming third after Kurz's party won 32%. An estimation of 5,500 people attended protests in Vienna, who were met by 1500 police officers, helicopters and water cannon trucks. The crowds were far smaller than the 150,000 Austrians who protested the last time the Freedom party entered government, in February 2000. While some European leaders have welcomed the new government in hopes of keeping a constructive European Union, the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has said he is very worried, and that austria's turn to the far right marks a dangerous development in the political life of Europe.
LOCAL NEWS
A new zero net carbon law means parliament will be required to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 and is set to be passed next year. But there are doubts about whether there are enough measures in place to reach the goal. The agricultural industry, responsible for at least half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, will not be bound by any restrictions until 2019. Greenpeace has responded by asking the government to ban any new mining, drilling or fracking. The government has rejected this, stating that doing so would cost New Zealand around fifteen million dollars through lost revenue. The zero net carbon bill will be introduced next October.Digital Skills Shortage Increases
A recent report conducted by New Zealand Digital Skills Forum shows a growing shortage of digital skills. Statistics show that so far the positions have been filled by immigrants rather than New Zealand graduates. NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller told 95 bFM that with the growing expansion of technology, there is a constant demand for tech students, as technology is continuously changing. “You have large organisations banks, government departments which are digitalising which means they have demand for the same kind of skills so the skills needed is growing fast”. Muller hopes to see more New Zealanders with digital skill to decrease New Zealand's reliance on foreign countries for those with digital skills.
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Currently there are no restrictions on medical professional's access to their patient's social media profiles. A University of Otago Medical School study shows that the fact a doctor can google their patient to find more information about them needs to be discussed. Dr Susan Walthert of the Dunedin School of Medicine Medical Education Unit says patient targeted googling is a controversial issue. “Googling is not illegal - these are freely available internet information sites and anybody can go there. It's up to the doctor and the patient to have the sort of relationship that would enable that to happen with their consent”. The study found that more research needs to be done to see what guidelines need to be put in place to address this issue.Schools are Big Spenders in Audit
Audits of school finances for the 2016 year have named some big spenders. The auditor general has named Blockhouse Bay Intermediate school as one school with faulty accounting. The Intermediate was found to have not passed on $3700 fundraised for Fiji flood relief, instead keeping the money for school purposes. The school also spent $7000 on a party and $3000 on a leaving gift for their outgoing principal, while Puhunui school gave their principal a $8500 ride-on mower. The report said Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hoani Waititi Marae spent $249,632 of school funding on a trip for 251 students, staff, and caregivers to Rarotonga. The auditor general has stated it is unusual for schools to fund trips of such a nature. The Education Ministry has reinstated its guidance to schools about the need to specifically fundraise for students' overseas travel. The Education Ministry has reinstated its guidance to schools about the need to specifically fundraise for students' overseas travel. Board member for the Kura Mera Lee-Penehira told 95bFM the “Ministry of Education is not up to speed with understanding education in indigenous contexts, they do not value these kind of indigenous historical and whakapapa based cultural exchanges.” Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi rejects eurocentric ideals of education says Lee-Penehira, because they have failed Māori. Lee-Penehira noted that only 2 of the 29 schools in the report were Kura and that it was concerning Kura are highlighted when they are by far the minority. She says it’s a slap in the face when Kura who work hard to ensure rangatahi succeed were compared with other schools who are involved with fraudulent activity.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
South Africa's ruling African National Congress party has chosen a new leader. Cyril Ramaphosa, an anti-apartheid activist turned politician, and currently deputy president of south africa has been chosen as new ANC leader. He will lead for the next 5 years after a close internal party election this week. Ramaphosa will replace Jacob Zuma as leader of the ANC party, which has held on to power for the last 23 years. It is presumed he will become president after the 2019 South African Election, despite the party being hit by declining support.Public death sentencing China
Ten people have been executed following a public trial in Guangdong, China. Invitations to attend were sent beforehand to city residents via social media, which thousands attended reportedly including some school uniform wearing children. Footage recorded by the crowd on mobile phones is currently in circulation on social media. China's courts have a ninety nine point nine percent persecution rate, and public trials are rare though increasing numbers have been occuring in recent years due to increased terrorist activity. The number of people executed in China per year outnumbers that of all other countries combined.First Female Bishop of London.
Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed the new Bishop of London. Pushing back at conservatives, Mullally says "I respect those that cannot accept my ministry as a Bishop because I am a woman". London was the poorest performing diocese for its small number of women in leadership roles. The new Bishop has stated that she maintains that marriage is only between a man and woman. She has also said the church needs to better support and represent minorities in its church in order to serve the church community. Bishop of London is the third highest position within the Church of England.Austria swears in far right government
Austria has sworn in western Europe's only far right government presence as protests erupt outside the presidential palace. The new chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz of the Austrian People's Party has formed a coalition deal with the Freedom party, which was formed after the second world war by former Nazi Party members, and won 26 percent of the vote in October's election, coming third after Kurz's party won 32%. An estimation of 5,500 people attended protests in Vienna, who were met by 1500 police officers, helicopters and water cannon trucks. The crowds were far smaller than the 150,000 Austrians who protested the last time the Freedom party entered government, in February 2000. While some European leaders have welcomed the new government in hopes of keeping a constructive European Union, the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has said he is very worried, and that austria's turn to the far right marks a dangerous development in the political life of Europe.