Nine To Noon for Wednesday 5 August 2020
09:05 Beirut blast: Shock wave strikes city reeling from economic crisis
Hospitals are overwhelmed with people injured in two massive blasts that hit the Lebanese capital in the early hours. Scores of people have been killed with thousands more injured, after two explosions from the port sent a blast wave across the city, shattering windows and blowing doors off their hinges.The official comment from Lebanon's Interior Minister is that stores of ammonium nitrate triggered an explosion. The country's Prime Minister Hassan Diab has suggested a warehouse at the port had been the subject of warnings going back to 2014. Much of the downtown area surrounding the port has been left in ruins. Lebanon is teetering on the brink of economic ruin, compounded by the coronavirus crisis. Lynn Freeman speaks with independent journalist in Beirut, Habib Battah.
09:20 Impact of devastating Australia fires on wildlife still not clear
Ecologists in Melbourne fear they are missing the chance to rescue animal species unable to recover from the destructive bush fires earlier this year. The state's north east was hardest hit, along with Gippsland, further south. Scientists say because of Covid-19 restrictions, they're unable to get out and assess how animals are faring amid the destruction, and are worried they're missing a chance to intervene and save struggling species. Professor of Zoology at La Trobe University Michael Clarke explains the situation to Lynn Freeman.
09:30 Millennials worry about loneliness more than elderly study shows
Loneliness is a big concern among the elderly, but a new study is showing it is even more significant for young people. Findings from Southern Cross' inaugural Healthy Futures Report, found half of the millennials it questioned were concerned about being lonely, compared with only a quarter of those aged over 70. Dr Stephen Child is Chief Medical Officer at Southern Cross and works as a specialist in Auckland.
09:45 Melbourne’s tighter lockdown, SOS rescue from tiny island
Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Lynn to look at Melbourne’s move to tighten its lockdown and what impact that will have on the federal economy. A special payment is being made from the federal Government to try to combat the numbers of people who are sick, but can’t afford to stay at home. And three men have been rescued from a tiny Pacific island after their SOS was spotted in the sand by a US military aircraft.
10:05 Supercharging critter control
Dr Helen Blackie is leading efforts to supercharge Predator Free 2050 with solutions spanning engineering, creative design, animal behaviour, toxicology and ecology. But it's not easy with an estimated 68 thousand native birds killed by introduced predators every night, costing conservation services millions. (The spend on managing rats, stoats and possums alone comes in at around $70 million each year). The latest pest control technology she's working on includes cutting-edge camera sensors, intelligent traps, long-life lures and potentially down the line, species-specific toxins. Dr Helen Blackie works with environmental consultants Boffa Miskell.
10:35 Book review - Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Carole Beu, The Women's Bookshop, reviews Dominicana by Angie Cruz, published by Flatiron Books.
Short-listed for this year's prestigious Women's Prize for Fiction. Ana is 15, obliged to marry a man in his 30s and to move with him to New York. Missing her family in the Dominican Republic, she makes the most of her life, growing in strength and independence. Cruz beautifully captures the immigrant experience and makes you love this wonderful young woman.
10:45 The Reading
Where the Rekohu Bone Sings by Tina Makereti
Read by George Henare, Maria Walker & Kura Forrester Part 13
11:05 Music with Charlotte Ryan
Music 101 host Charlotte Ryan shares new music from Tami Neilson, who’s hitting the road next month on a tour with her band after the release her seventh album Chickaboom! She’ll also share music from Troy Kingi and a new recording from Shona Laing, who’s just released a new album which includes old favourites and new.
11:20 Orange Sky: company and clean laundry for the homeless
Orange Sky is a charity that offers free showers, laundry, and conversation to people who are homeless. The service is offered through vans - one in Auckland and one in Wellington, that are in different parts of the city on different days of the week. Eddie Uini brought the Australian-based service to New Zealand, after getting in touch with the founders when he had the idea to set something similar up.
11:45 Art for Matariki: Contemporary Māori exhibitions
Arts correspondent Mark Amery travels to the Bay of Plenty for Matariki. First to Whakatane and then to Tauranga for some exciting contemporary Maori exhibitions. Pictured in the gallery below is quilt work of Maungarongo Te Kawa at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi — Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre. Te Kawa is currently artist in resident at Stitch o Mat in New brighton Christchurch where he is leading the creation of a giant community quilt.
Music played in this show
Artist: Phoebe Bridgers
Title: I see you
Time: 09.45
Artist: Sault
Title: We are the Sun
Time: 10.35
Artist: Future Islands
Title: For Sure
Time: 11.45