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Everything you need to know about the world today, curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.Gym Related ACC Claims Spike
The number of gym-related ACC claims are rapidly rising from previous years with no clear reason why. In 2011 the number of ACC claims for gym-related injuries was over 17,000 and last year the number of claims spiked to almost 53,000. Exercise Association chief executive Richard Beddie says "in the last five years there has been over a 50 per cent increase in the number of people exercising," but the rate of injury was rising fast than the increase in people going to the gym. The Exercise Association hopes to have a better understanding of the spike in injuries by the end of the year.Drug Resistant Infections in Middlemore
Three burns patients have fallen ill with a multi-drug-resistant infection at Middlemore Hospital's National Burns Centre. The carbapenem-resistant organisms are part of the normal human gut bacteria, but have become resistant to the commonly-used antibiotics relied on for burn infections. The affected patients have been isolated in a theatre and inspection control processes have been increased. So far the patients appear to be responding well to alternative treatment, but the centre is considering options for transferring the very serious cases to locations in Australia if symptoms persist.New Zealand Bracing For Share Market Dive
The New Zealand share market is expected to take a hit today as the share markets around the world feel the effect of United States interest rates quickly rising. The global market saw shares fall in Asia and Europe yesterday. Head of wealth research at Craigs Investment Partners, Mark Lister, says people don't need to panic, as they should be investing for the long-term. "It's not something impacting the economy, it's limited to the sharemarket". Yesterday, Donald Trump avoided any mention of the stock market during an economic speech.Demand For Testing Toxic Foam Contamination Zones
Manawatu and Marlborough have been contaminated by toxic foam chemicals caused by foam runoff from fire brigades and defence bases. An environmental scientist has called for people within foam contamination zones to be offered free blood tests after an Australian firefighter was found with alarming levels of toxic foam chemicals in his blood. Locals in contaminated areas are concerned with lack of information on the issue, with one resident indicating that she had to find out on the radio that her children and horses might be at risk. She says, “I’d like someone to come and test the water and give me some information on is the soil toxic, what effect does it have on animal, or can I get the horses tested for this, have they got it now in their system”. In New Zealand, free voluntary blood tests are only available for people at properties confirmed to have unsafe levels in their drinking water, so far this includes five in Ohakea and two in Woodbourne.Social Housing Unit Causing Disturbances
Burglaries and assaults at a social housing unit in Christchurch have resulted in some residents of the neighbourhood leaving. Residents of the community say Housing New Zealand have not responded to complaints lodged in the months prior. One of the neighbours to the social housing unit says "There have been public displays of domestic violence, there have been physical assaults in the middle of the day against women, and these are being done in the visibility of children.” The Housing New Zealand Christchurch area manager Fraser Benson says they have worked with tenants of the unit.Manus Island Refugees To Be Removed From Detention Center
Asylum seekers detained on Manus Island have been informed they will be removed from the detention center but not sent back to their country of origin. The asylum seekers are being deported as they did not receive refugee status, but will not be sent home over fears they will be persecuted within their own countries. A bizarre, contradictory letter addressed to the asylum seekers explained they had not been classed as refugees, but were at risk of "torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary deprivation of life or the imposition of the death penalty," if they returned home. The United Nations refugee agency is repeating its call for a review of the refugee status of 500 people detained on Manus Island.Major Quake Strikes Taiwan
A hotel in Taiwan has collapsed after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the region in the last hour. The quake hit at 11.50 PM local time around 21km northeast of the port city Hualien. At least 30 people are believed to be trapped in the hotel, which is tilted on its side and emergency services are working to free anyone they can. This comes after five shallow tremors struck within two hours of each other on Sunday in the same area off Taiwan's east coast.Jackpot Winner Suing Lottery Officials
In the United States, A New Hampshire Woman who last month won a $560 million jackpot is suing state lottery officials, in an attempt to remain anonymous. Under the pseudonym of Jane Doe, she filed a civil complaint after mistakenly signing for the winning ticket without any legal consultation. The unnamed woman says she wants "the freedom to walk into a grocery store without being known or targeted as the winner of a half-billion dollars". Because the woman signed her name rather than using a trust account, State Lottery officials say they would be compelled to disclose her identity in the event someone files a Right-to-Know request.Julian Assange Still Confined to Embassy Hideout
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains inside London's Ecuadorean Embassy, after a British Judge upheld his UK arrest warrant. Judge Emma Arbuthnot rejected a call from Assange's lawyers for the warrant to be revoked because he is no longer wanted for questioning in Sweden, saying she is not persuaded the warrant should be withdrawn. Journalists and Assange supporters gathered at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, eager to hear whether Assange would be permitted to leave the Embassy in which he has lived in since 2012. Swedish prosecutors dropped the original case last year, but Assange still has a British arrest warrant for jumping bail in 2012.Pro-Democracy Protesters Sentences Quashed
Three pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong, who were sentenced to jail time for their role in a 2014 protest, have been released and their sentences quashed. The five-member Court of Final Appeal unanimously voted to abolish the sentences of imprisonment against the three activists. The Hong Kong High Court warns that new guidelines instated against large-scale unlawful assemblies involving violence will result in punishment for future offenders. The three activists and the pro-democracy group they affiliate with have been nominated for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.Chemical Weapon Allegations In Syria
The United Nations is conducting an investigation into allegations that chemical weapons are being used in Syria. Weaponised chlorine has been cited in multiple reports which the United Nations Commission of Inquiry is now investigating. In 2013, Syria pledged to surrender its chemical arsenal and the state continues to deny involvement in gas attacks. Head of the Sarmin Medical Centre in Syria, Doctor Mohammad Tannari says "The United Nations has not been able to produce anything besides reports". Two chemical weapon attacks have been reported since the beginning of the year.Additional reporting: Reilly Hodson, Issy Walker and Tess Barnett.
LOCAL NEWS
The number of gym-related ACC claims are rapidly rising from previous years with no clear reason why. In 2011 the number of ACC claims for gym-related injuries was over 17,000 and last year the number of claims spiked to almost 53,000. Exercise Association chief executive Richard Beddie says "in the last five years there has been over a 50 per cent increase in the number of people exercising," but the rate of injury was rising fast than the increase in people going to the gym. The Exercise Association hopes to have a better understanding of the spike in injuries by the end of the year.Drug Resistant Infections in Middlemore
Three burns patients have fallen ill with a multi-drug-resistant infection at Middlemore Hospital's National Burns Centre. The carbapenem-resistant organisms are part of the normal human gut bacteria, but have become resistant to the commonly-used antibiotics relied on for burn infections. The affected patients have been isolated in a theatre and inspection control processes have been increased. So far the patients appear to be responding well to alternative treatment, but the centre is considering options for transferring the very serious cases to locations in Australia if symptoms persist.
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The New Zealand share market is expected to take a hit today as the share markets around the world feel the effect of United States interest rates quickly rising. The global market saw shares fall in Asia and Europe yesterday. Head of wealth research at Craigs Investment Partners, Mark Lister, says people don't need to panic, as they should be investing for the long-term. "It's not something impacting the economy, it's limited to the sharemarket". Yesterday, Donald Trump avoided any mention of the stock market during an economic speech.Demand For Testing Toxic Foam Contamination Zones
Manawatu and Marlborough have been contaminated by toxic foam chemicals caused by foam runoff from fire brigades and defence bases. An environmental scientist has called for people within foam contamination zones to be offered free blood tests after an Australian firefighter was found with alarming levels of toxic foam chemicals in his blood. Locals in contaminated areas are concerned with lack of information on the issue, with one resident indicating that she had to find out on the radio that her children and horses might be at risk. She says, “I’d like someone to come and test the water and give me some information on is the soil toxic, what effect does it have on animal, or can I get the horses tested for this, have they got it now in their system”. In New Zealand, free voluntary blood tests are only available for people at properties confirmed to have unsafe levels in their drinking water, so far this includes five in Ohakea and two in Woodbourne.
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Burglaries and assaults at a social housing unit in Christchurch have resulted in some residents of the neighbourhood leaving. Residents of the community say Housing New Zealand have not responded to complaints lodged in the months prior. One of the neighbours to the social housing unit says "There have been public displays of domestic violence, there have been physical assaults in the middle of the day against women, and these are being done in the visibility of children.” The Housing New Zealand Christchurch area manager Fraser Benson says they have worked with tenants of the unit.
INTERNATIONAL
Asylum seekers detained on Manus Island have been informed they will be removed from the detention center but not sent back to their country of origin. The asylum seekers are being deported as they did not receive refugee status, but will not be sent home over fears they will be persecuted within their own countries. A bizarre, contradictory letter addressed to the asylum seekers explained they had not been classed as refugees, but were at risk of "torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary deprivation of life or the imposition of the death penalty," if they returned home. The United Nations refugee agency is repeating its call for a review of the refugee status of 500 people detained on Manus Island.Major Quake Strikes Taiwan
A hotel in Taiwan has collapsed after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the region in the last hour. The quake hit at 11.50 PM local time around 21km northeast of the port city Hualien. At least 30 people are believed to be trapped in the hotel, which is tilted on its side and emergency services are working to free anyone they can. This comes after five shallow tremors struck within two hours of each other on Sunday in the same area off Taiwan's east coast.
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In the United States, A New Hampshire Woman who last month won a $560 million jackpot is suing state lottery officials, in an attempt to remain anonymous. Under the pseudonym of Jane Doe, she filed a civil complaint after mistakenly signing for the winning ticket without any legal consultation. The unnamed woman says she wants "the freedom to walk into a grocery store without being known or targeted as the winner of a half-billion dollars". Because the woman signed her name rather than using a trust account, State Lottery officials say they would be compelled to disclose her identity in the event someone files a Right-to-Know request.Julian Assange Still Confined to Embassy Hideout
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains inside London's Ecuadorean Embassy, after a British Judge upheld his UK arrest warrant. Judge Emma Arbuthnot rejected a call from Assange's lawyers for the warrant to be revoked because he is no longer wanted for questioning in Sweden, saying she is not persuaded the warrant should be withdrawn. Journalists and Assange supporters gathered at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, eager to hear whether Assange would be permitted to leave the Embassy in which he has lived in since 2012. Swedish prosecutors dropped the original case last year, but Assange still has a British arrest warrant for jumping bail in 2012.Pro-Democracy Protesters Sentences Quashed
Three pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong, who were sentenced to jail time for their role in a 2014 protest, have been released and their sentences quashed. The five-member Court of Final Appeal unanimously voted to abolish the sentences of imprisonment against the three activists. The Hong Kong High Court warns that new guidelines instated against large-scale unlawful assemblies involving violence will result in punishment for future offenders. The three activists and the pro-democracy group they affiliate with have been nominated for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.Chemical Weapon Allegations In Syria
The United Nations is conducting an investigation into allegations that chemical weapons are being used in Syria. Weaponised chlorine has been cited in multiple reports which the United Nations Commission of Inquiry is now investigating. In 2013, Syria pledged to surrender its chemical arsenal and the state continues to deny involvement in gas attacks. Head of the Sarmin Medical Centre in Syria, Doctor Mohammad Tannari says "The United Nations has not been able to produce anything besides reports". Two chemical weapon attacks have been reported since the beginning of the year.Additional reporting: Reilly Hodson, Issy Walker and Tess Barnett.