New Zealand

Ardern appointed Grant Robertson as deputy prime minister, making him the first openly gay person to hold the role.

The dual referendums were held on October 17, alongside the general election that returned Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to power with a landslide majority.

Authorities are investigating the incident which is believed to have taken place in the family's home.

Saturday's vote marked the first time any leader won an absolute majority in New Zealand since 1996.

This prompted the party's co-leader Billy Te Kahika -- who has a huge following -- to accuse Facebook of meddling in the upcoming vote.

Masks and distancing are no longer mandatory in New Zealand, an achievement upon which Ardern has staked her political future in Saturday's general election.

The United States, had recorded 5.99 million cases of infection as of 0030 GMT Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University's tracker.

Soon after the punishment was handed down, NZ deputy PM Winston Peters said Tarrant, 29, should be transferred to the Australian prison system.

Tarrant has pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism over the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch in March 2019.

She expressed dismay after the US president exaggerated the new virus outbreak in New Zealand as a "huge surge" that Americans would do well to avoid.

Ardern was under pressure from political opponents and her coalition partners to shift the original September 19 vote following COVID-19 cases in Auckland.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is set to announce later Friday whether Auckland's lockdown will be extended.

Ardern said authorities were scrambling to trace anyone who had been in contact with four Auckland residents who tested positive Tuesday.

Cultural appropriation backlash lands on the brewery for unknowingly branding their product with a Maori term thinking it means feather or fur.

Australia along with 11 other nations come in second to New Zealand and Japan as world's most valuable passports

Foreign Minister Winston Peters said "New Zealand can no longer trust that Hong Kong's criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China".

Details of his affair were passed on to Ardern's office on Tuesday by opposition leader Judith Collins.

The National Party selected Judith Collins in a caucus vote late Tuesday, hours after her predecessor Todd Muller unexpectedly quit.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offered condolences to the officer's family and police colleagues.

New Zealand has won praise for its handling of the pandemic, which involved a strict seven-week lockdown that ended last month.

She expressed her sympathy with marchers but was concerned about large crowds that could undermine New Zealand's success in fighting the virus.

St John Ambulance and New Zealand Police both said there were no initial reports of injuries or damage, and there was no tsunami warning.

Those aged over 70 will be allowed out again after more than seven weeks of mandatory quarantine.

Equities were broadly lower Tuesday, though they were fluctuating throughout early business.

The announcement means businesses deemed safe can reopen, along with some schools, while limits on local travel are also relaxed.

China reported 89 new coronavirus infections, 86 of which were imported from overseas.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country was still "many weeks away" from lifting any restrictions.

Ardern said the South Pacific nation was fortunate its infection numbers remained relatively low, with 102 cases and no fatalities.

The body of a 32-year-old woman from Essex has been discovered days after she went missing during a solo hike.

30-year-old Nicole Reed's hopes of looking like Instagram models came crashing down after a botched breast lift surgery became infected.