New Zealand

British gymnasts take legal action against governing body over abuse

A group of 17 former gymnasts including three olympians are to launch legal action against British Gymnastics for alleged "systemic physical and psychological abuse" by coaches targeting children as young as six.

Qantas posts $5.5B loss, delays international flights to October

Australia’s national carrier has pushed back the resumption of international flights by four months to wait for the country to complete its vaccination drive as revenues continue to fall due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Concerns remain as NZ rescuers try to refloat stranded pilot whales

Volunteers managed to push around 40 whales out to sea using Monday evening’s high tide. But sometime overnight, the whales beached themselves again, and only 28 survivors have been refloated since.

Efforts under way in New Zealand to rescue dozens of stranded whales

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation said the pod of 49 long-finned pilot whales was found at Farewell Spit, about 90 kilometres north of South Island’s tourist town of Nelson.

G7 countries commit $7.5B to Covax vaccine funding - latest updates

Coronavirus has killed more than 2.4 million people and infected over 110 million globally. Here are virus-related developments for February 19:

Turkey captures most wanted Daesh terrorist

The Daesh member who was a Kazakh national was nabbed in Turkey's southern province of Kilis, near the border with Syria.

New Zealand fights period poverty by giving schools free sanitary products

One in 12 young people skipped school because they did not have access to period products, PM Jacinda Ardern says, announcing the programme will begin in June.

New Zealand-Australia row erupts over dual national Daesh suspect

A dual national was arrested near the Syrian border with her two children and identified as a Daesh member. NZ PM Ardern urged Australia to consider the welfare of the children who were "born in a conflict zone through no fault of their own".

NZ orders lockdown in Auckland after community outbreak of Covid-19

It came after three members of an Auckland family tested positive, with authorities concerned about the new and active infections as there was no obvious source of transmission.

Singapore teen detained for Christchurch-inspired mosque attack plot

The boy purchased a tactical vest online and had intended to also buy a machete at the time of his arrest in December.

South Africa match marks 'monumental moment' for Pakistan cricket

Experienced batsman Faf du Plessis says South Africa must master the unfamiliar conditions and home captain Babar Azam when they play their first test in Pakistan since 2007 in the opening match of a two-game series that starts in Karachi on Tuesday.

New Zealand PM Ardern pledges free Covid-19 vaccines for all citizens

The country secured enough vaccines to inoculate all of the country's five million people, with two new agreements signed with pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax.