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US television host John Oliver has credited his 2024 Emmys win to last year's Bird of the Century winner, the "majestic" pūteketeke. In a video exchange posted to Instagram, Bird of the Year 2024 campaigner and television host Phil Keoghan thanked Oliver "for bringing the birds of New Zealand into the limelight, even to places like to Emmys." "Here at the Emmys 2024 with John Oliver, I've just been contacted by the Prime Minister of New Zealand to make an official thank you ... I'd like to thank you on behalf of all New Zealanders, for the birds that never got recognition," Keoghan - a Dunedin resident who got on board as an advocate for Tūhura Otago Museum's hoiho campaign. All the attention is on the hoiho this year - Dunedin's yellow-eyed penguin and 2024 winner of Bird of the Year - bu...

The rapper was arrested in a Manhattan hotel where he was staying and taken into custody late Monday in the US, his lawyer has confirmed to CNN. Photo: Angela Weiss / AFP Sean "Diddy" Combs has been arrested in a Manhattan hotel where he was staying and taken into custody late Monday in the US, his lawyer has confirmed to CNN. "We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the US Attorney's Office," Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Combs, told CNN. He said the musician had been cooperating with the investigation, and relocated to New York last week in anticipation of being charged. His team maintained his innocence, and said he had "nothing to hide". Earlier this year the rapper's homes in Los Angeles and Miami, Florida, were raided a...

This month, gold prices have surged to an all time high of US$2586 (NZ$4179) per ounce. Photo: 123RF Gold prices have hit a record high, with more investors buying the precious metal in anticipation of interest rate cuts in the United States. This month, gold prices have surged to an all time high of US$2586 (NZ$4179) per ounce (28.35g). So far this year gold has risen 26 percent. The US Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates this week, with inflation there generally accepted to be under control. Auckland-based MyGold chief executive Rich Elliott said this had contributed to rising global demand for gold. "We see investors increasingly turn to gold as they expect the [US Federal Reserve] to reduce its benchmark interest rates. Then when interest rates decline, gold becomes mo...

By Jonathan Allen, Brad Brooks and Andrew Hay, Reuters Ryan Wesley Routh following his arrest in Martin County, Florida, on 15 September. Photo: AFP PHOTO / MARTIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE Ryan Routh, the man who authorities allege carried out an apparent attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump, has a lengthy criminal history and connections to the war in Ukraine. Routh, 58, was charged with two gun-related crimes in a federal court in Florida on Monday, a day after he was spotted with a rifle hiding in shrubbery on the property line of Trump's golf course. More charges are expected. Officials have not cited any possible motives. One of Routh's sons described him as a loving father. North Carolina voting records show that Routh had no party affiliation, though he did ...

First published on A OceanGate Expeditions image of their Titan submersible during a descent. Photo: AFP / OceanGate Expeditions US Coast Guard officials have begun a two-week inquiry to uncover the facts of what happened on the Titan submersible before it imploded, killing all five people inside. The deep-sea vessel was less than two hours into its descent towards the wreck of the Titanic when it imploded in June 2023. Investigators displayed a recreation of the journey, which included text messages between Titan and its mother ship the Polar Prince. Titan began its dive just around 9am local time when support staff on the mother ship asked about the submersible's depth and weight, and if it still had visuals on the ship's on-board display. The BBC reported that co...