Image via Peace Action Wellington Facebook page.
Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.Protesters Arrested at International Weapons Expo
Protesters have blockaded Wellington's Westpac stadium in protest of the annual Defence Industry and National Security Forum. More than 500 delegates from at least 150 organisations are expected to attend what protesters are calling a 'weapons expo'. Peace Action Wellington spokeswoman Jessie Dennis said "Profiting from violence is immoral. I think New Zealanders are really proud of the parts of our history where we've stood up for peace". In 2015 groups of protesters were arrested outside the expo. Those charges were dropped in court this year. Today, at least three people have been escorted away by police, one in handcuffs.Car Manufacturers Want Action on Faulty Airbags
Car manufacturers fed up with motorists' inaction on faulty airbags and are now pressuring the government to force owners to get them fixed. Cars with faulty airbags are in the millions worldwide but car companies do offer free repairs for defective vehicles. However, half of the 140,000 New Zealand motorists asked by car companies to come in for a free fix had not done so. The Motor Industry Association is calling for car owners who have ignored multiple requests to fix their airbags to be denied a Warrant of Fitness.Te Puea Partners With Companies for Homeless
Te Puea has signed agreements with private sector companies in their continued effort to support homeless whānau. Last year the marae took in 181 homeless people over the winter months, and did the same again this year. This new agreement with Dempsey Wood Civil, Sills Update and Ernst and Young would widen opportunities the marae is able to give to families says Te Puea Marae chairman Hurimoana Dennis. Dennis says this would also see their whānau have the chance to complete job training and work towards employment.New Zealand First Calling the Shots
New Zealand First is set to hold up to four rounds of coalition talks today as the pace of negotiations to form the next government picks up. Winston Peters met Labour at 9.30 AM and is talking to National at midday, with a party caucus meeting in between. Speaking with media after negotiations concluded yesterday, the New Zealand First leader made assurances that conversations have centred solely on policy, and said he would be working late into the night. Winston Peters has previously given himself self-imposed deadline of this Thursday to announce which Party he has chosen to form a government with.Consumer Lobby Group Looks into Housing Collusion
A consumer lobby group is calling for an investigation into the growing ties between mortgage brokers and real estate agents to ensure prospective home buyers are not being ripped off. A Ray White Real Estate spokesperson said information about how much money a homebuyer has should be kept confidential. However, industry insiders have said that brokers are sometimes being pressured into revealing to agents how much a buyer can really afford. Consumer New Zealand says the rules governing the industry aren't clear cut. The group is calling for an investigation, saying brokers and agents must disclose their financial ties.Crackdown in Egypt after LGBT Protests
LGBT people in Egypt are being targeted in a wave of arrests and violence. Dozens of people are said to have been detained in a crackdown that began after rainbow flags were waved at a rock concert in Cairo last month. Homosexuality is not illegal in Egypt but homosexual acts in public are illegal and members of the LGBT community are often arrested on euphemistic charges. The latest spike in arrests is part of an ongoing trend of repression against the LGBT community in Egypt which includes online surveillance, entrapment and abuse in detention.Trump Looks to Use 'Dreamers' as Leverage
US President Donald Trump has tied any new deal on young undocumented immigrants from the DACA program to a clampdown on illegal immigration. Trump is asking for funding for his border wall, speedier deportations and the hiring of thousands of new immigration officials. Last month he ended the Obama-era "Dreamer" programme which had protected some 700,000 young immigrants. In his list of "principles" delivered by the White House to Congress on Sunday includes: Constructing the border wall, employing 10,000 Immigration Customs officers, 1,000 lawyers for the agency. Trump also wants to penalise "sanctuary cities" that have resisted the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants. Last month, Trump told Congress, which is dominated by his Republican party, it had six months to agree to new legislation to help the Dreamers.France Says No to an Independent Catalonia
France has said they will not recognise Catalonia as an independent state if the regional government pushes ahead with a declaration of independence from Spain. The French European affairs minister is urging both sides to negotiate their way out of the crisis triggered by last week's referendum. The minister has repeated the European Commission's warning that an independent Catalonia would find itself outside the European Union and would be obliged to reapply for membership. The Catalan president is due to bring the results of the referendum before the regional parliament today.Red Cross Scales Back in Northern Afghanistan
The Red Cross is set to drastically scale back its presence in Afghanistan after seven staff were killed earlier this year. Two offices will close and a third will see operations scaled down. A Red Cross spokesperson says it was a "painful decision" and meant people in the north would no longer get help they needed. The aid organisation stressed they were not leaving Afghanistan, but had to scale back as Taliban and Islamic State militants have stepped up attacks. The Red Cross has worked in Afghanistan for 30 years, and in some areas, particularly in the north, the Red Cross is the only international group present.Reporting by Alessandra Nixon, Jack Marshall, Stewart Sowman-Lund
LOCAL NEWS
Protesters have blockaded Wellington's Westpac stadium in protest of the annual Defence Industry and National Security Forum. More than 500 delegates from at least 150 organisations are expected to attend what protesters are calling a 'weapons expo'. Peace Action Wellington spokeswoman Jessie Dennis said "Profiting from violence is immoral. I think New Zealanders are really proud of the parts of our history where we've stood up for peace". In 2015 groups of protesters were arrested outside the expo. Those charges were dropped in court this year. Today, at least three people have been escorted away by police, one in handcuffs.Car Manufacturers Want Action on Faulty Airbags
Car manufacturers fed up with motorists' inaction on faulty airbags and are now pressuring the government to force owners to get them fixed. Cars with faulty airbags are in the millions worldwide but car companies do offer free repairs for defective vehicles. However, half of the 140,000 New Zealand motorists asked by car companies to come in for a free fix had not done so. The Motor Industry Association is calling for car owners who have ignored multiple requests to fix their airbags to be denied a Warrant of Fitness.
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Te Puea has signed agreements with private sector companies in their continued effort to support homeless whānau. Last year the marae took in 181 homeless people over the winter months, and did the same again this year. This new agreement with Dempsey Wood Civil, Sills Update and Ernst and Young would widen opportunities the marae is able to give to families says Te Puea Marae chairman Hurimoana Dennis. Dennis says this would also see their whānau have the chance to complete job training and work towards employment.New Zealand First Calling the Shots
New Zealand First is set to hold up to four rounds of coalition talks today as the pace of negotiations to form the next government picks up. Winston Peters met Labour at 9.30 AM and is talking to National at midday, with a party caucus meeting in between. Speaking with media after negotiations concluded yesterday, the New Zealand First leader made assurances that conversations have centred solely on policy, and said he would be working late into the night. Winston Peters has previously given himself self-imposed deadline of this Thursday to announce which Party he has chosen to form a government with.Consumer Lobby Group Looks into Housing Collusion
A consumer lobby group is calling for an investigation into the growing ties between mortgage brokers and real estate agents to ensure prospective home buyers are not being ripped off. A Ray White Real Estate spokesperson said information about how much money a homebuyer has should be kept confidential. However, industry insiders have said that brokers are sometimes being pressured into revealing to agents how much a buyer can really afford. Consumer New Zealand says the rules governing the industry aren't clear cut. The group is calling for an investigation, saying brokers and agents must disclose their financial ties.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
LGBT people in Egypt are being targeted in a wave of arrests and violence. Dozens of people are said to have been detained in a crackdown that began after rainbow flags were waved at a rock concert in Cairo last month. Homosexuality is not illegal in Egypt but homosexual acts in public are illegal and members of the LGBT community are often arrested on euphemistic charges. The latest spike in arrests is part of an ongoing trend of repression against the LGBT community in Egypt which includes online surveillance, entrapment and abuse in detention.Trump Looks to Use 'Dreamers' as Leverage
US President Donald Trump has tied any new deal on young undocumented immigrants from the DACA program to a clampdown on illegal immigration. Trump is asking for funding for his border wall, speedier deportations and the hiring of thousands of new immigration officials. Last month he ended the Obama-era "Dreamer" programme which had protected some 700,000 young immigrants. In his list of "principles" delivered by the White House to Congress on Sunday includes: Constructing the border wall, employing 10,000 Immigration Customs officers, 1,000 lawyers for the agency. Trump also wants to penalise "sanctuary cities" that have resisted the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants. Last month, Trump told Congress, which is dominated by his Republican party, it had six months to agree to new legislation to help the Dreamers.France Says No to an Independent Catalonia
France has said they will not recognise Catalonia as an independent state if the regional government pushes ahead with a declaration of independence from Spain. The French European affairs minister is urging both sides to negotiate their way out of the crisis triggered by last week's referendum. The minister has repeated the European Commission's warning that an independent Catalonia would find itself outside the European Union and would be obliged to reapply for membership. The Catalan president is due to bring the results of the referendum before the regional parliament today.Red Cross Scales Back in Northern Afghanistan
The Red Cross is set to drastically scale back its presence in Afghanistan after seven staff were killed earlier this year. Two offices will close and a third will see operations scaled down. A Red Cross spokesperson says it was a "painful decision" and meant people in the north would no longer get help they needed. The aid organisation stressed they were not leaving Afghanistan, but had to scale back as Taliban and Islamic State militants have stepped up attacks. The Red Cross has worked in Afghanistan for 30 years, and in some areas, particularly in the north, the Red Cross is the only international group present.Reporting by Alessandra Nixon, Jack Marshall, Stewart Sowman-Lund