News

2023 - 1 - 28

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Wairarapa Times Age"

News in brief January 28, 2023 (Wairarapa Times Age)

Reports of an 'aggressive youth' saw police attending Martinborough Pool on Thursday afternoon. Police said a person that had previously been trespassed ...

Repeated use of a restaurant’s toilets saw police attending a Masterton establishment yesterday. The transport agency said Masterton’s Chapel St would be closed for resurfacing at the north end tomorrow and Monday nights and at the south end Tuesday to Thursday nights from 8pm-6am. Substantial rainfall is expected around the eastern hills and Tararua Range, and a heavy rainfall warning is currently in place until 9pm tomorrow.

Emergency declared as Interislander loses power in Cook Srait (RNZ)

The Interislander ferry has lost power in Cook Strait. Palmerston North City councillor Lorna Johnson is onboard and told RNZ an emergency has been declared ...

The cause of the temporary loss of power will be investigated. Wellington harbourmaster Grant Nalder confirmed the ship had dropped its anchor south-west of Sinclair Head on Wellington's South Coast. The Interislander ferry, the Kaitaki, lost power and dropped its anchor south-west of Sinclair Head earlier this evening.

Passenger says Interislander ferry has limited power back on, tug ... (Stuff.co.nz)

The Interislander ferry lost power in the Cook Strait and an emergency has been declared, according to a reporter on board the ferry.

He understood they had dropped one anchor to help stay in place and hadn’t moved in the last half hour since dropping anchor which was “very positive”. “ The reporter said the captain announced they had full power just before 7pm on Saturday. * [Greater Wellington Regional Council harbourmaster Grant Nalder](https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington-top-stories/130350053/my-wellington-ruling-the-waves) confirmed the ferry had lost power “just to the left of Sinclair head” about one nautical mile offshore and had declared mayday. The Interislander ferry is now on the move after full power was been restored after the ship’s engines stopped and it had to anchor in the Cook Strait, according to a Stuff reporter on the ferry.

Finland Most Resistant to 'Fake News,' Report Finds (U.S. News & World Report)

Nordic countries fare well in an analysis of countries resistant to fake news, while Georgia performed the worst.

[Germany](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/germany) and Iceland were the highest-ranking countries in the second quartile of the index, while [Italy](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/italy) and [Israel](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/israel) fell to the third quartile of “transitional” countries with regards to media literacy. The latter two countries recently had elections in which the [far-right](https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-09-25/polls-open-in-italy-right-wing-alliance-seen-winning) came to [power](https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-11-15/israel-swears-in-new-parliament-most-right-wing-in-history). In past years, the index advocated for education as the best way to address media literacy, rather than regulating free speech, as education would provide “vaccination” against the worst effects of fake news. It was created in the context of a number of trends in media literacy and consumption, including the disinformation campaign during the 2016 U.S. Finland has topped the Media Literacy Index every year the rankings have been released, going back to 2017. The Media Literacy Index was first published in 2017 and was expanded from 35 European countries to 41 in the most recent publication. “This increases the risks related to disinformation in such countries, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine, as part of the public does not realize or just ignores its vulnerability.” [Japan](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/japan), [South Korea](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/south-korea) and the [United States](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/united-states) – were also included in the analysis, for a total of 47 countries. The institute, founded in 1990 after a grant by George Soros, used data from organizations such as the World Bank, United Nations and Freedom House to calculate scores across four different metrics: press freedom, education, trust, and political participation, with education weighted as the most important. [Norway](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/norway), [Denmark](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/denmark), [Estonia](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/estonia), [Ireland](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/ireland), [Sweden](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/sweden), [Canada](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/canada), [Switzerland](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/switzerland), the [Netherlands](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/netherlands) and [Australia](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/australia). [Turkey](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/turkey), Montenegro, Moldova, [Bulgaria](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/bulgaria) and [Serbia](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/serbia). [Finland](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/finland) is the European country that is least susceptible to "fake news," with other Nordic countries trailing close behind, according to a recent analysis of media literacy.

Walsall photographer showcases pre-war life in Ukraine (BBC News)

Peter Ford is releasing a book of images taken in Kyiv 30 years ago to raise funds for medicines.

Mr Ford said the photos "document a period of life" when people played chess in bathing costumes in the open air, and music conservatoire students performed in the metro. I just thought 'what can I do'?" "These people I worked with are suffering [in war today].

Hate speech: A growing, international threat (UN News)

Whilst hate speech is nothing new, it has arguably been super-charged by the internet, which has allowed lies, conspiracies, and threats to instantly spread ...

For years, Ms Mlinarević, who is also the ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Czech Republic, wrote about aspects of corruption in her country. The toughest and saddest part for me was fleeing my home town, where I lived for 37 years.” Let's hope the future will bring something better for all of our children.” And now we have the rise of fundamentalist Hindu communities in the US as well. Even though I live in New York, a lot of the threats comes from India. The rise of social media has, she says, led to racism, hate, and verbal assaults making an unwelcome comeback. Yakani explains how hate speech, both in-country and from the diaspora, is contributing to further violence in the world's newest internationally recognized country: 60 per cent of deadly violence in the country, he says, is triggered by hate speech. And obviously that narrative bothered a lot of people, so I have been a part of many troll attacks”. Despite the many risks to his own security, Mr Yakani continues to strive to ensure accountability, justice and respect for human rights. “Some describe me as a type of an animal, a cockroach, monkey or snake, or just call me a murderer.” In a short series of features, based on the new UN Podcasts series, Yakani says that has often been the victim of online attacks, in which his image, or statement has made, have been distorted.