No new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today
There have been no new community cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand today. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley...
Watch live: Chris Hipkins and Dr Ashley Bloomfield give Covid-19 update
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are providing an update on the situation in Auckland on the eve...
“GameStop effect” could ripple further as Wall Street eyes short squeeze candidates
The clash between retail traders and Wall Street professionals that sparked roller coaster rides in the shares of GameStop Corp may pose a risk to...
Six killed in liquid nitrogen leak at poultry plant in U.S. state of Georgia
At least six people were killed and 12 others hospitalized on Thursday in liquid nitrogen leak at a northeastern Georgia poultry plant, officials said on...
Georgia election board member to seek state AG probe of Trump
The lone Democrat on Georgia’s state election board plans to introduce a motion next month urging state attorney general Chris Carr to open a criminal...
Wall St. rebounds as earnings heat up, short worries cool
U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday, bouncing from sharp losses in the prior session, thanks to a broad rally as earnings season got off to...
Covid-19: Home isolation after MIQ would be a struggle, say returnees
A week of home quarantine after leaving MIQ would be impossible for many new arrivals to organise, with some having nowhere suitable to isolate, returnees...
Chicago school district cancels some in-person classes as labor dispute flares
In-person classes in Chicago for pre-kindergarten and special education students were canceled again on Thursday as a labor dispute between teachers and school officials over...
Novavax says COVID-19 vaccine 89% effective in UK trial, less in South Africa, shares jump
Novavax Inc said on Thursday its coronavirus vaccine was 89.3% effective in preventing COVID-19 in a trial conducted in the United Kingdom, and was nearly...
Biden reopens online health insurance marketplaces, citing ‘damage’ from Trump
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday reopened the nation’s online health insurance marketplace for people who cannot obtain coverage through their employers, in a move...
Pakistan court orders release of Islamist convicted of beheading U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of an Islamist convicted of beheading U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, a decision that has left his family...
Work advancing for NZ manufacture of vaccines – doctor
As vaccine delays threaten to disrupt the Covid-19 response in Europe, attention is turning to whether New Zealand could manufacture one. Some vaccines, such as...
China sharpens language, warns Taiwan that independence ‘means war’
China toughened its language towards Taiwan on Thursday, warning after recent stepped up military activities near the island that “independence means war” and that its...
Stop endless referendum talk, UK PM Johnson tells Scotland
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Scottish nationalists on Thursday to stop talking “endlessly” about a new independence referendum, saying most people wanted to see Britain...
New York prosecutor says state undercounted nursing home COVID deaths by up to 50%
New York state’s health department may have undercounted the COVID-19 death toll in state nursing home residents by as much as 50%, according to a...
Black Ferns to open World Cup campaign against Australia at Eden Park
The defending champion Black Ferns will meet Australia at Eden Park in their opening game of the Rugby World Cup in September. Photo: PHOTOSPORT The...
U.N. chief to foreign forces: ‘Leave the Libyans alone’
The U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for thousands of foreign fighters and mercenaries to immediately leave Libya, with Guterres demanding...
News of coral destruction as New Zealand pushes for double orange roughy limit
New Zealand's bid to increase the amount of orange roughy commercial fishers can catch has hit a snag. A New Zealand fishing trawler has destroyed...
EU warns it could block vaccine exports, wields legal threat at drugmakers
Europe’s fight to secure COVID-19 vaccine supplies intensified on Thursday when the European Union warned drug companies such as AstraZeneca that it would use all...
U.N. chief Guterres hopes for ‘reset’ in U.S.-China relations
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday he hopes there will be a “reset” in U.S.-China relations, acknowledging that while the countries had “different views”...
Satellite images can be used to help warn of future eruptions – expert
Satellites spotted part of the crater of Whakaari / White Island collapsing in the days before the deadly December 2019 eruption, it has emerged. View...
John Banks’ on-air comments: ‘Why do we keep giving these people a platform?’
Opinion - Nobody is racist anymore. John Banks apologised on air for his comments on the Magic Talk Mornings programme, but denied he was racist....
Covid-19: Schools prepare for lockdown ahead of reopening
Schools have not even reopened for the year and they are already preparing emergency plans for dealing with another lockdown. Schools are now revisiting their...
Brazil confirmed COVID-19 cases pass 9 million: health ministry
Brazil has had 61,811 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 1,386 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry...
Pentagon warns Taliban on failure to meet commitments on violence, terrorism
The Biden administration believes it is hard to see a way forward for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban unless the militant group meets its...
Extreme drought fears in Hawke’s Bay after streams dramatically dry up
Streams in Hawke's Bay have dried up after being deep enough to swim just one week ago, stoking fears of another drought. A fully-flowing Karewarewa...
Imported vehicles emissions target will drive up prices – Industry leaders
Critics are calling the government's imported vehicles emissions target impossible to meet, with penalties that will cost importers millions and drive up prices for consumers....
Activists say Polish women seeking abortion panic as restrictions take effect
Polish women with scheduled abortions are calling advice services in panic, activists said, as Poland’s government put into effect a ruling banning terminations of pregnancies...
U.S. ready to prosecute man acquitted in Pakistan of American reporter’s murder: Blinken
The U.S. is prepared to prosecute in the United States the man acquitted by Pakistan’s top court of the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl,...
Apple records most profitable quarter ever as sales hit $111bn despite covid-19 pandemic
Apple has announced that it's sales have hit another record, as families bought it's latest phones, laptops and gadgets during the Christmas period. Sales in...
Covid-19: What happened in NZ on 28 January, 2021
More details have emerged about two new community cases, Australia extended its travel bubble suspension, and new instructions were given to people staying in managed...
Fury over consent to remove trees from revitalised waterway project in Māngere
An Auckland Council decision to give contractors the all-clear to chop down 12 mānuka and kānuka trees shading Māngere's Tararata Stream has angered and bemused...
Minister says Australia should follow NZ’s lead on China diplomacy
Minister for trade Damien O'Connor has suggested Australia speak with "more diplomacy" about China, so it too can have a "mature" relationship. Minister for trade...
Kaikōura wetlands: ‘100 years to destroy, another 100 to restore’
Precious wetlands in Kaikōura that have been drained and degraded for generations, are now being lovingly restored and protected - in projects that landowners and...
Former MPs Tracey Martin and Jenny Marcroft quit NZ First
Two of New Zealand First's former MPs, Tracey Martin and Jenny Marcroft, have left the party. Tracey Martin, left, and Jenny Marcroft. Photo: RNZ /...
Turtle traps set up at Coromandel beach to capture abandoned pets
Waikato Regional Council is having to set up turtle traps as ponds at a Coromandel beach have became inundated with the animals. Photo: 123RF Biosecurity...
Calls to restrict returnee numbers to avoid more Covid-19 outbreaks
The National Iwi Chairs pandemic response group has called for the number of New Zealanders returning home to be restricted to 1500 a week, almost...
A trans-Tasman bubble in 8 weeks? AUS-NZ forum chair is hopeful
Australia has extended quarantine-free travel across the ditch for New Zealanders for another 72 hours, with anyone arriving from Aotearoa now being put in hotel...
NZ, Denmark named as world’s least corrupt countries
Transparency International has again named New Zealand and Denmark as the world's least corrupt countries. Photo: 123RF However, the organisation warned that despite its number...
New doco series explores Fiordland history and nation’s oldest shipwreck
New Zealanders can soon dive into history - and remote Fiordland - and explore the country's oldest-know shipwreck as part of new documentary series. The...
Americas COVID-19 death toll hits 1 million, hospitals brimming, warns PAHO
Over 1 million people have died from COVID-19 in North and South America, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday. In the last...
U.S. faces higher risk of domestic extremist violence after Capitol assault, says government
The United States could face a heightened threat of domestic extremist violence for weeks from people angry at Donald Trump’s election defeat and inspired by...
Rumours and fear dog Philippine plan for coronavirus vaccine drive
According to one rumour circulating in the Philippines, the coronavirus vaccine will allow President Rodrigo Duterte to kill people at the push of a button....
Asia stocks follow Wall Street tumble on valuation worries
Asian stocks skidded on Thursday following a sharp Wall Street decline amid deepening concerns about stretched valuations in equities markets, while the dollar and bonds...
Wall St vs Main St fight quashes hedge funds as GameStop extends rally
Retail traders chalked one up versus Wall Street on Wednesday as hedge funds took heavy losses on short positions in GameStop, and regulators and financial...
Biden takes sweeping measures to curb climate change, vows job creation
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a new raft of executive actions to combat climate change, including pausing new oil and gas leases on federal...
Family of Black man killed by Cincinnati store owner seeks federal civil rights probe
The family of an unarmed Black man who was shot dead by a white store owner in Cincinnati asked the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday...
Pfizer vaccine only slightly less effective against key South African mutations: study
Pfizer Inc and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine appeared to only lose a small bit of effectiveness against an engineered virus with three key mutations from the...
Security forces clash with protesters in locked-down Lebanon
Lebanese security forces clashed for the third night with protesters in Tripoli angry about a coronavirus lockdown, with witnesses and local media reporting that riot...
Police detain brother of jailed Kremlin critic and search properties, say Navalny allies
Police in Moscow detained Oleg Navalny, the brother of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and searched the homes of the opposition politician’s associates and other...