News of Zealand: Jacinda Ardern's Popularity is Soaring

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

Labour Party Ride Surge in Popularity
Jacinda Ardern and the Labour Party continue to increase in popularity, according to a poll by One News. The poll, conducted between February 10 and 14, saw Labour leader Ardern's support as preferred prime minister increase to 41 percent, while support for Bill English has dropped to 20 percent. Labour's coalition partners, the Greens and New Zealand First also saw their support drop by two percent in the polls. The Greens are down to five percent and New Zealand first down to three percent. Parties must win at least five percent of the vote in an election to gain any representation in Parliament.

Scientists: Microplastic Contaminating NZ Food, Water
A team of plastic experts from the US have discovered single use plastic bags may be doing more damage to New Zealand's environment than was previously expected. Anna Cummins, co-founder of '5 Gyers Institute', a research group currently touring New Zealand, says that there has been much more coastal pollution than expected. Ms Cummins claims that her team have also found evidence of micro-plastic making its way into New Zealand products. Honey, beer and drinking water were among the products which contained traces of the plastic. A petition calling for a ban on single-use plastic bags currently has over 60,000 signatories. Food-giants Countdown and Foodstuffs have both announced their support for the petition. Both companies have vowed to stop using plastic bags by the end of the year

Cyclone Gita to Strike South Island
MetService and Civil Defence have advised people to remain on high alert for the next two days, as the remnants of Cyclone Gita pass over the country. MetService has predicted that the top of the South Island is likely to suffer the worst from Gita. In particular, Taranaki, the Kapiti Coast, the Marlborough Sounds, Nelson, the West Coast, and the Canterbury region of the east coast were likely to experience flooding and landslides. Spokespeople for the Civil Defence and MetService have asked people to keep a close eye on rivers and coastal regions. They also suggest clearing gutters, tying down furniture, and evacuating camping areas ahead of the storm. Those in Auckland should also remain vigilant, as strong winds and rain threaten to hit the city later this evening.

National Leadership Race Continues
Steven Joyce has announced that he is putting himself forward as a potential National party leader. Joyce was National’s campaign and finance manager in the last government. Mark Mitchell, Judith Collins, Simon Bridges and Amy Adams are the other candidates for National's next leader. Joyce spent the past week finding support within the party and from supporters before deciding to put himself forward. He says he is interested in leadership because of the need to challenge the government, not due to any personal ambition.

Algal Bloom Hits Lake Omapere
The Northland Regional Council has been criticised for its failure to warn locals of the likelihood of a toxic algae bloom at Lake Omapere. Linda Lewis, a farmer in the area, said that the bloom has turned Lake Omapere and the connected Utakura River into a toxic swamp. The river ran green, and was coated in a blanket of white foam caused by the algal bloom. Mrs Lewis says the council had conducted tests in the area, and knew that the bloom was likely. However, despite many farmers relying on the river as a source of water, the council had warn people.

Sentenced to Death
Eleven widows of ISIL fighters have been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Iraqi court, and a twelfth sentenced to death. The 12 foreign women were convicted on Sunday, despite pleas that they had been forced or duped by their husbands to join them in Iraq. Only the woman condemned to death admitted she travelled to Iraq with her children and husband willingly. The state-appointed defence lawyers argued the women were deceived into coming and that they hadn't committed any acts of violence. The women have been convicted under Iraq’s anti-terrorism law.

President of Equatorial Guinea Appeals to the UN
The president of Equatorial Guinea is appealing a judgement by a French court against his son, Teodorin Obiang, at the UN. His son, who is also the vice-president, is convicted of money laundering, corruption, abuse of trust and embezzlement of public funds. He was fined 30 million euros and had his French real estate and fleet of luxury cars confiscated by French police. This is seen as a turning point for French courts which are well known for ignoring the crimes of foreign rulers on French soil. Teodorin Obiang is claiming diplomatic immunity.

Myanmar Covers Up Human Rights Abuses
A human rights monitoring group claims that Myanmar's government is bulldozing over the site of a mass grave in order to cover up a military massacre. The claim was made by the Akran Project, a group dedicated to documenting human rights abuses in the Myanmar region. They provided a video clip to the Guardian, a screenshot of which shows multiple half-buried tarpaulins lying in a forest clearing. The Guardian has yet to release the footage. This comes after a UN human rights official accused Myanmar’s government of ethnic cleansing.

Measles Warnings on Low Immunisation
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is warning against the low immunisation rates of measles. WHO Europe says in 2017 there were 21,000 cases and 35 deaths in the area. That represents a 400 percent increase in cases compared to 2016, which saw only 5,000 cases in Europe, none of which resulted in death. The WHO says the increase may be due to perception of the issue—many people do not believe measles to be a serious threat, and immunisation numbers may be decreasing as a result.

Additional reporting by Reuben McLaren, Grace Watson, Daniel Meech