News of Zealand: Greyhounds Killed When They Can No Longer Race

Report Reveals the Horrifying Reality of Greyhound Racing
A report released by the NZ Racing Board has uncovered shocking treatment of racing greyhounds. The report calls for improvements on required kennel inspections, dog tracking, the euthanasia approvals regime, track safety, dog rehoming, and enforcement of the dog-health and -welfare standards. Of the total 8891 dogs monitored, only 1123 made it past the age of five, many euthanised as “unsuitable for rehoming”. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters labelled the findings deeply disappointing and disturbing. Green Party politician Gareth Hughes said there was a lot to be done to improve the state of racing. Hughes hoped the increasing rate of euthanasia has not just become the cheaper solution for owners who don't want the dogs anymore.

Labour Wants More Access to Medicinal Marijuana
The Labour-led government yesterday introduced legislation to Parliament to widen access to medicinal cannabis, after campaigning on making marijuana available for people with terminal illness or chronic pain. The bill tabled yesterday would protect the terminally ill from being charged for possession and growing for personal use. The amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act would also allow people to grow cannabis for therapeutic reasons and allow patients to obtain cannabinoids with a prescription. This would include only pharmaceutical cannabinoids and not organically sourced products, which some campaigners and current users are critical of.

Coordinator of Medical Cannabis Awareness NZ Shane Le Brun says legalistion is important to protect users. "We have an increasing amount of patients that are getting token sentences or actually are getting granted discharge without conviction. And as the evidence for cannabis grows and the costs don't come down there's going to be more and more patients who are going to turn to cannabis, and they'll usually turn to cultivating themselves to protect themselves from having to deal with people who might not be the most outstanding citizens," Le Brun told 95bFM.

Taranaki Iwi and Crown Strike Historic Deal
Last night, a Record of Understanding was signed between the Crown and seven Taranaki iwi allowing joint governance over Taranaki Maunga (Mount Taranaki). It signals a commitment from the Crown to acknowledge and apologise formally to iwi for historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. Ngāti Maru were the only iwi not to sign, but they have been making submissions about the return of the maunga since the 1970s. This agreement doesn’t mean a return yet but it is a step in the right direction, says Taranaki Chief Negotiator Jamie Tuuta. For the foreseeable future iwi would be able to exercise control and protection over the taunga.

FLAVA Forced to Remove Racist Post
Flava radio station has had to remove a post it made on social media describing “the male names most likely to live a life of crime”. Flava’s post had translated all of the names into their Māori equivalents. The list of names came from an overseas article citing a study done by a site dedicated to children’s names, Newberry. Tāmaki Makaurau Labour MP Peeni Henare said he was disgusted and called for a boycott of the station.

World’s First Female Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Belgium is to become the first country to send a female ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Dominique Mineur will take the position in Riyadh next summer. Belgium's Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said this was evidence his country’s willingness to fill important international roles with the most competent people. Saudi Arabia has often faced criticism for its restrictions on women; it was only in September that Saudi Arabia relaxed its ban on women driving. This comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attempts to modernise the Saudi society and boost the economy.

Natural Disasters Causing Mental Trauma in the Pacific
An onslaught of natural disasters across the low-lying Pacific Islands is inflicting mental trauma on children. Counsellor Sisilia Siga from Empower Pacific, a mental-health service provider in Fiji, said that, as climate change becomes more severe, mental health problems for children will worsen.

Samoa’s Government Attacks the Media
New legislation passed in Samoa this week which could which could be abused to restrict media freedom in the country. Samoa's Parliament unanimously voted to reinstate a criminal libel law. The bill targets unidentified bloggers who write defamatory remarks about others. Editor of Samoa Observer's Mata'afa Keni Lesa said that by bringing back the law the government was targeting social media users. Lesa added that the criminal libel could be used to compel journalists to disclose their sources and was designed to cripple the media.

US Border Security Accused of Beatings, Violence
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is under scrutiny for mistreating 92 Somali men and women aboard a failed deportation flight. A lawsuit filed earlier this week stated the men and women were subjected to inhumane conditions, abuse and acts of serious physical violence. The flight left Louisiana and made a stop in Dakar, Senegal where it was held for 23 hours before returning to the US. During this time people were made to stay seated, beaten, restrained and denied use of the bathroom. ICE has called the allegations categorically false.

European Union Declares Uber is Officially a Taxi Service
The European Union's highest court has ruled that Uber is a taxi service. The ruling followed a case spurred by a complaint from a professional taxi drivers’ association in Barcelona that Uber’s activities in Spain amounted to misleading practices. The practices included unfair competition from Uber’s use of non-professional drivers—a service Uber calls UberPOP and which has since been suspended in Spain and other countries.

Poland Under Fire for Threats to its Independent Judiciary
Poland faces European Commission (EC) sanctions for threatening judicial independence with justice-system reforms. The right-wing populist government has passed 13 laws over the past two years that have changed the structure of the justice system. Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said the decision was a political move in which the EC was applying double standards.

Christmas Ceasefire in Philippines
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced a ceasefire with communist rebels for the Christmas season, saying he just wanted people to enjoy Christmas day. Earlier this year, Duterte terminated government peace talks with the communist New People's Party, as rebels continued to attack state troops conducting peace operations in the country’s east. After the talks, he declared the NPA as a terror organisation and ordered the arrest of its leaders. Duterte said he hoped the party will reciprocate the Christmas ceasefire and let people go to church.

Reporting by Darashpreet Johal, Jenn Tamati and Leah Garcia-Purves.