The Police Minister Stuart Nash isa assuring the public strong security will be placed around the one year memorial service marking the Christchurch mosque terror attacks; and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is defending his MP Shane Jones saying his comments about Indian students were simply mirroring the concerns of the Indian community
1.The national trade union body says employees should not be penalised by their workplaces if they are required to isolate themselves after traveling for the good of the country. There is a lack of clarity about what sort of leave if any should be taken and how staff should be paid.
2.Retirement home owners say the Government and District Health Boards are not doing enough to protest people in rest homes from the coronavirus. The fatality rate for those who are with the disease is much higher for those over 70 and higher again for those over 80.
3.An infection specialist says she’s confident hospitals are making the right call when deciding whether to test a patient for covid-19. A Stuff article reported one doctor at Wellington hospital saying they were concerned was being rationed which would lead to misdiagnosis.
4.The Police Minister Stuart Nash is assuring the public strong security will be placed around the one year memorial service marking the Christchurch mosque terror attacks. Messages were posted on an encrypted messaging app on Sunday targeting members of the Al Noor mosque.
5.New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is defending his MP Shane Jones saying his comments about Indian students were simply mirroring the concerns of the Indian community. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has publicly reprimanded Cabinet Minister Shane Jones, labelling his language around Indian immigrants “loose” and “wrong”.
6.Greece has blocked any new asylum applications for the next month after Turkey “opened the doors” for migrants to travel to the EU. Greek officials earlier said they had stopped nearly 10,000 migrants crossing the land border with Turkey.
7.A UN Aid Chief Kevin Kennedy says, the regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, said the need for “humanitarian aid and protection is growing more desperate by the day” in northwestern Syria.
8.Nationals demanding the Government cut taxes as the Covid-19 virus threatens to wreak havoc on the global economy. The Finance Minister Grant Robertson has signalled that tax relief is an option if the crisis worsens. But National’s leader Simon Bridges says it needs to act now.
9.The impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak on tourism in one of the country’s best known destinations, Rotorua, is starting to bite for some businesses, while others say the worst is yet to come. The current travel ban prevents foreigners entering New Zealand if they are coming from or have transited through mainland China and Iran in the past 14 days.
10.A controversial used car dealer is defending an advertisement that pokes fun at the coronavirus. The 2 Cheap Cars ad online shows a man on a train with a mask and a caption that suggests buying a car instead of using public transport.
11.Israel’s right wing party is claiming victory in the country’s third election in less than a year. Exit polls show Benjamin Netanyahu’s party has gained seats but his right wing block is projected to fall just short of being able to form a coalition Government.
12.Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon says Shane Jones’ comments about Indian immigrants are racist and ignorant, and must stop. The New Zealand First MP and Cabinet minister Jones said Indian students had ruined academic institutions, and there were too many immigrants from New Delhi.
13.ANZ Bank has spent the day trying to convince the court a claim against it for damages related to the crash of the Ross Asset Management company should be ruled out. NZ Bank is at the High Court in Wellington facing a suit from 550 investors who claim it either knew or should have known that Wellington financial adviser David Ross was operating a Ponzi scheme.
14.A South Canterbury town is trying out an on-demand public transport service which aims to take passengers where they want to go, when they want to get there. The new system in Timaru is called MyWay and will use mini buses that can carry about 12 people. They would need to be booked in advance either via a smartphone, online, or over a landline.
15.Hundreds of eels are dieing in Hawkes Bay as waterways dry up due to a lack of rain. The Department of Conservation Community Ranger Chris Wootton says he’s never seen anything like it.
16.Another burst water pipe in Wellington has led to emergency overnight repairs. Contractors arrived at the scene at State Highway 1 at 11:30PM last night and alerted occupants of nearby properties they would be without water.
