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Navy Commodore Andrew Brown is in charge of the operation. Photo: RNZ/ Susana Lei'ataua The Navy is confident a robust plan is in place to handle any leaks as the operation to remove fuel from the HMNZS Manawanui begins. Two New Zealand salvage companies are preparing to remove fuel and other pollutants from the vessel that is 30 metres under water after sinking off the coast of Samoa in October. The ship went down after hitting a reef in a marine reserve off the island of Upolu. Seventy-five crew and passengers were rescued after being forced to abandon ship. HMNZS Manawanui shortly before it sank in October. Photo: Supplied / Profile Boats Manawanui has nearly 1000 tonnes of automotive gas oil that has diesel-like qualities on board. Officials estimate up to 200,000 litres of f...

By Luc Cohen for Reuters Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on 6 November 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / Getty Images via AFP Prosecutors request schedule to litigate Trump's case dismissal Trump's lawyers say case would impede ability to govern Trump faced additional state and federal charges in 2023 Trump spokesperson: 'a total and definitive victory' for Trump Prosecutors who secured Donald Trump's conviction over a hush money payment to a porn star opposed on Tuesday his stated hope to have the case dismissed now that he is president-elect and asked a judge to set a schedule to litigate the matter. Trump, 78, had been scheduled to be se...

Photo: no such thing as fish Ten years ago, four self-described dorks gathered around a microphone to share interesting facts that they had learnt that week. They started as Stephen Fry's elves, digging up facts for his show QI and found they had plenty of tidbits leftover such as the origin of hedges, or wombat poo, or how many times smartphone users touch their phones each day - answer 2617. These tasty leftovers became a hit podcast No Such Thing As A Fish which has notched up more than 500 episodes, half a billion downloads and spawned a sold-out world tour that is currently in New Zealand. Podcasting fact fans Dan Schreiber and Anna Ptaszynski told RNZ's Afternoons, the "secret sauce" of the show is uncovering the kind of facts we love to share at the pub. "Everyone loves it at the...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Attorney-General Judith Collins made the assessment. Photo: RNZ New Zealand has designated the Iran-backed armed and political group Hezbollah as a terrorist entity. Israel has been waging war on Hezbollah in its base in Lebanon for weeks, in an extension of the war in Gaza. Read more: What is Hezbollah, the Lebanese group trading fire with Israel? The government has also slapped a similar designation on the Houthi movement known as Ansar Allah. The Houthis in Yemen have been attacking shipping in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the Attorney-General Judith Collins made the assessment. "For any organisation [to be designated] ... we have to have evidence and we go through a number of tests under our legislation, t...

By Anna Maria Jakubek for AFP US actor Alec Baldwin hugs a member of his legal team at the conclusion of his trial on involuntary manslaughter at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on July 12, 2024. Photo: AFP / RAMSAY DE GIVE The western Rust will get its world premiere on Wednesday at a Polish film festival, three years on from a shock on-set shooting that killed the cinematographer. Hollywood A-lister Alec Baldwin was accused of violating basic gun safety rules in the 2021 death of Halyna Hutchins, but his involuntary manslaughter trial was dismissed over withheld evidence earlier this year. The late cinematographer's mother Olga Solovey said on Tuesday she refused to attend the festival for the film's promotion "especially now when there is still no justice f...