New Zealand

Stories 381 - 400 | << Prev   Next >>

Vending Machine as Pot Dealer? Yep, Not Legal

Cops seize machine from pro-legalization HQ

(Newser) - Can laws against drug dealing be sidestepped by making a machine the dealer? The answer is no, a group of drug law reform activists in New Zealand discovered this week. Police raided the group's Auckland headquarters and confiscated a vending machine that was selling one-gram bags of marijuana instead...

With Marmite Dwindling, New Zealand Freaks Out

It's Marmageddon! Earthquake shut down production of gooey black spread

(Newser) - It's a time of unprecedented national crisis in New Zealand, where supplies of Marmite—the black, nationally cherished goo—are running dangerously short. Dubbed "Marmageddon," the shortage is hitting even the highest reaches of government, with PM John Key noting that he has but a "very...

Xena Actress Arrested After 3 Days on Oil Ship

Lucy Lawless, five other Greenpeace activists busted in New Zealand

(Newser) - Lucy Lawless was arrested today in New Zealand along with five other Greenpeace members, three days after they boarded an oil-drilling ship that had been contracted by Shell. Lawless, aka Xena: Warrior Princess, occupied the vessel to protest its plan to do exploratory drilling off Alaska. "This chapter has...

Xena Star Occupies Oil Ship
 Xena Star Occupies Oil Ship 
Feb 24, 2012 3:53 AM CST

Xena Star Occupies Oil Ship

Greenpeace seeks to halt Arctic drilling

(Newser) - Xena Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless is back in battle, this time against oil drilling in the Arctic. Lawless and six other Greenpeace activists slipped past port security in New Zealand and boarded an Arctic-bound Shell drilling vessel. The activists, who have scaled a derrick on the ship, say they...

14-Year-Old Youngest Ever Pro Golf Winner

Even crazier, Lydia Ko nearly won same tournament a year ago

(Newser) - Lydia Ko is just 14 years old, but that didn't stop her from becoming the youngest ever winner of a professional golf tournament earlier today, winning the New South Wales Open in New Zealand by four strokes, reports the AP . The previous record was held by Ryo Ishikawa, who...

NZ Shoots 33 Whales It Couldn't Rescue

After 2 rescue attempts, officials say nothing more to do for restranded whales

(Newser) - The 33 pilot whales that beached themselves again on the New Zealand coast today have been shot, the AP reports, after conservation officials decided there was nothing more they could do for the creatures. About 99 whales were stranded Monday on a South Island spit notorious for whale beachings. Volunteers...

World's Biggest Potheads Live In...

...Australia, New Zealand, where 15% of residents used marijuana in 2009

(Newser) - It appears that our friends from Down Under are in fact up higher than North Americans—a new study shows that Australians and New Zealanders are the world's top pot smokers, reports the Los Angeles Times . The Lancet found that 15% of Aussies and Kiwis ages 15-64 used some...

NZ Shipwreck Breaks Apart, Threatens New Oil Spill

Nearly 400 tons of oil could leak as storms pound wreck

(Newser) - A cargo ship that has been grounded off the New Zealand coast since October broke in two last night, spilling more debris and raising fears of further oil leakage, reports the AP . Nearly 400 tons of oil leaked into the ocean soon after the Rena ran aground, and 1,100...

Hot Air Balloon Crash in New Zealand Kills 11
 Hot Air Balloon Crash Kills 11 
Jan 6, 2012 4:58 PM CST

Hot Air Balloon Crash Kills 11

Disaster strikes in New Zealand

(Newser) - A hot air balloon crashed and killed all 11 people aboard near a rural New Zealand town about 90 miles north of the capital of Wellington, officials said. Witnesses told local media of seeing 30-foot-high flames rising from the balloon's basket before it plummeted to the ground. Police don'...

Strong Quakes Rock Christchurch

Only minor injuries, damage reported

(Newser) - A series of strong earthquakes shook Christchurch, New Zealand, today, 10 months after a major quake killed 182 people and destroyed much of the downtown. A 5.8 quake was followed by a 5.3 quake minutes later, and a 6.0 quake an hour after that, along with many...

Church Ad Shows Mary Taking Pregnancy Test

Billboard there to spark conversation, church says

(Newser) - A church in Auckland, New Zealand, has irked traditionalists with a billboard showing a shocked Virgin Mary looking at a pregnancy test. St. Matthew-in-the-City Church says the portrait was intended to “spark thought and conversation in the community." Christmas is "about a real pregnancy, a real mother...

Anti-Gay Marriage Politician Donated Sperm to Lesbians

Bill Johnson made donations without wife's knowledge while in New Zealand

(Newser) - In his failed quest to become governor of Alabama, Bill Johnson campaigned against gay marriage in 2009—but he has been secretly donating sperm to lesbian couples in New Zealand since. Johnson headed to the country this year to aid in earthquake recovery; it was his desire to father children...

New Zealand Conservatives Win Re-Election

Green and anti-immigration parties make gains

(Newser) - The leader of New Zealand's Labour party conceded defeat to Prime Minister John Key's National Party in elections today, paving the way for him to return for a second term as the nation's leader. The dominant performance by Key's National Party, however, appeared to come up...

Helicopter Crash Caught on Video

Pilot, workers survive mishap at Christmas Tree ceremony

(Newser) - Viewers thought they were tuning in to watch a webcast of Auckland’s Christmas tree being hoisted into place when they signed onto TVNZ’s site yesterday morning. Instead they witnessed this: A helicopter snapping in two as it crashes to the worksite below. Miraculously no one was seriously injured...

Girl, 3, Left Alone 2 Days After Mom Dies

She lived off food in the fridge until she was found

(Newser) - After her mother died for unknown reasons, a 3-year-old New Zealand girl was on her own in the house—and managed to survive until she was rescued. Shylah Silbery spent two days living off of milk, cheese, and lasagna she found in the refrigerator, the AP reports. “She got...

Tomorrow, Occupy Goes Worldwide

Protests planned in London, Rome, Alaska, Auckland

(Newser) - The Occupy Wall Street movement is growing beyond American borders : Tomorrow, protests are planned in Rome, London, Frankfurt , Auckland , and elsewhere. Italian police are bracing for crowds in the tens of thousands (1,655 have pledged to show up in Rome via Facebook ), though other cities expect fewer, Reuters...

Crashed Cargo Ship's Captain Arrested

...as New Zealand prime minister warns ship could break apart

(Newser) - Bad news keeps spilling out of the cargo ship Rena , and New Zealand wants to hold her captain responsible. Officials say the captain has been arrested for “operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk,” reports the BBC , which notes that the Rena plowed into...

NZ to Pump Oil From Grounded Cargo Ship

Bad weather looms, could break up ship

(Newser) - Crews are getting ready to pump some of the 1,700 metric tons of fuel aboard a cargo ship grounded off the coast of New Zealand, as gale-force wind and rain forecast for tomorrow threatens to break up the Liberian-flagged Rena and trigger an environmental disaster. "The top priority...

Island Nation's Water to Run Out in Days

Australia, New Zealand join forces to help Tuvalu

(Newser) - As a drought continues to ravage Tuvalu , only a few days' supply of fresh water remains on the tiny Pacific island nation—so Australia and New Zealand are bringing over a desalination plant. Air force planes from both countries are hauling the gear to rescue Tuvalu's residents, who face...

Drought Hits Crisis Level in Pacific Islands

Little or no rain in six months on Tuvalu, Tokelau

(Newser) - Some island groups in the South Pacific, already in danger of being swamped by rising seas, have run out of fresh water. Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared states of emergency because of the water crisis, caused by six months of low or no rainfall and by groundwater becoming contaminated with...

Stories 381 - 400 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser