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Tag Archives: oceania
'Pulse of wet weather' to hit Auckland early this week
Aucklanders are encouraged to enjoy the outdoors this morning while they can before a “pulse of wet weather” hits the city in the afternoon and continues early this week. Metservice meteorologist Alwyn Bakker says a high pressure…
Work Visa changes: Too little, too late say associations, as last minute call doesn't benefit businesses or workers
By Gill Bonnett, RNZ Analysis – The government has announced 10,000 working holiday-makers and seasonal staff can get visa extensions, but some say the numbers are a drop in the ocean and come too late – 11 days before visas are…
One dead after dinghy capsizes on Kaituna River, Bay of Plenty
One person has died after a small boat capsized on the Kaituna River mouth in the Bay of Plenty coast this morning. Emergency services were notified of a dinghy capsizing with two occupants on the Kaituna River along Ford Road,…
How Donald Trump is still haunting the G7 summit
A former key White House senior staffer has said G7 leaders are likely to butt heads over Russia and China, while US President Joe Biden will have to step out of predecessor Donald Trump's shadow.
Former White House director of events Laura Schwartz told Today that Mr Biden would also likely push other leaders to make a significant commitment to worldwide COVID-19 vaccination.
Collectively, the G7 is working to pledge one billion doses of vaccine, with the US committing to 500 million.
"We all see the light at the end of the tunnel, but not for all countries," Ms Schwartz said.
"We live in a globally interdependent backdrop of everything that we do. One nation affects the other."
However, on the other large issues of relations with China and Russia, Ms Schwartz warned the leaders would clash.
"There are deals between Russia and Germany right now, and the US wants to lay some sanctions on Russia. What does (German Chancellor) Angela Merkel say about that?" Ms Schwartz said.
"There's definitely inter-country play."
Confidential conversations between leaders were likely to be drivers of future policy, especially when it came to an agreement on climate change – something that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is likely to find awkward when he joins the summit as a guest.
The ghost of Trump
Ms Schwartz said while Mr Biden's international approval was far higher than his predecessor's, he would still have to fight to establish himself as an unchallenged US President.
"A lot of the countries have seen the insurrection from January 6," Ms Schwartz said.
"They've seen Donald Trump's still in the picture talking about conspiracy theories.
"Joe Biden will have to assure everybody, 'Listen, I am representing America and the majority of America is behind a world economy and getting together as a whole'."
Ms Schwartz said Mr Biden's "secret weapon" was First Lady Jill Biden.
"She landed the other day and they were with (UK Prime Minister) Boris Johnson and his wife," she said.
"She wore a jacket that simply said 'love' on the back, and that was not a coincidence."
You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.
Prisoner's creative writing delights 'New Chapters' competition judges
It was double delight for this year’s “New Chapters” winner after the same man claimed both the short-story and poetry prizes.The Otago Corrections Facility prisoner, aged in his 40s, who was serving time for violence-related offences,…
'We will pay a terrible price': Jaws film legend's plea to save sharks
More effort must be made to protect sharks around the world amid rapidly declining populations, a veteran marine conservationist and filmmaker has said.
Trailblazer for marine conservation and documentary filmmaker Valerie Taylor says that humans need not fear sharks, instead we should spend more time saving them.
"There's only 10 per cent of the big sharks left," Ms Taylor said on Weekend Today.
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"We're destroying one of the main animals in the world's ocean…and we can't replace them, they have a job to do, nature intended them to do that job, we can't do it and I think we're going to pay a terrible price.
"But we don't know it yet."
Ms Taylor – who helped film the underwater scenes in Steven Spielberg's Jaws and has just released a new documentary Playing With Sharks – says that the animals play an important role in the underwater ecosystem, and that without them, nature will suffer.
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"(Sharks) clean up the sick, the old and the wounded and dying, and keep the oceans clean," she said.
"In the last 10 years I haven't seen much in the way of sharks off the (Australian) coast, except grey nurse."
Overfishing and seafloor trawling are major contributing factors in declining shark populations and often many sharks are swept up in nets intended for other fish.
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Ms Taylor said that delicacies such as shark fin soup also play a role in dwindling population numbers.
"You get a lot of money if you're a fisherman for shark fins more than for fish and it's a terrible thing," she said.
Christchurch mosque shootings: Jack Tame – They Are Us movie wrong to focus on Jacinda Ardern
OPINION: I’m not a fortune teller. I don’t have a five-year plan. I can’t tell you what I’ll eat for dinner tonight, let alone anything I’ll be doing in two years’ time.But I can tell you right now with a very strong degree of…
Car crashes into house in Waikato town of Morrinsville
A car has crashed into a house this morning in the Waikato town of Morrinsville leaving one person with serious injuries. Emergency services responded to the crash at the intersection of Thames St and Waverley Ave at 10.10am….
Puppies shot: Couple distraught after neighbours' brutal killing
Warning: This story may be distressing for some readers. A couple have been left distraught after they say their four puppies were baited and brutally shot multiple times by neighbouring farmers. “They were basically butchered…