New Zealand
Serena Williams arrives with big news: I can’t stop crying
Serena Williams has arrived in New Zealand — and promptly announced she is engaged. The world's highest paid sportswoman will marry Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. She broke the news on Reddit in the form of a poem which emerged within hours of her arriving in Auckland this morning for next week's ASB Classic...
Kiwi tourist claims she was detained in Kazakhstan because ‘officials refused to believe New Zealand was a country’
28-year-old tourist says she was detained at an airport in Kazakhstan after immigration officials refused to believe that New Zealand was a country and insisted it was a state of Australia. Chloe Phillips-Harris, who holds a New Zealand passport, said she was interrogated for hours and held in a guard room at Almaty Airport for...
New Zealand to Pay Record Amount to Wrongfully Convicted Man
New Zealand's government on Wednesday agreed to pay a record amount to a 41-year-old man who spent more than 20 years in prison for a rape and murder he did not commit. The government said it would pay Teina Pora 2.5 million New Zealand dollars ($1.8 million) and also issued him a formal apology. The compensation would be...
New Zealand flag referendum set to reveal result
New Zealanders are waiting to hear whether they will have a new flag, as a referendum on whether to replace their existing one draws to a close. The postal vote closed at 19:00 local time (06:00 GMT) with a preliminary result to be announced shortly. The existing design features the British Union Flag, a legacy of New...
Passengers rescued from burning ferry in New Zealand
Passengers and crew on a tourist vessel were forced to jump into the sea off the coast of New Zealand on Monday, after the boat caught fire. Local media reported that all 60 people aboard were rescued, but several passengers with minor injuries were taken to hospital. Elaine Jung...
New Zealand warns of possible tsunami waves after Chile earthquake
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A magnitude-8.3 quake that struck off the coast of Chile Wednesday night was powerful enough that authorities 6,000 miles away in New Zealand have warned residents that a tsunami could hit parts of the country. And the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the place most at risk in the South...