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Nick Ward wears goggles to protect his eyes against the wind as he walks past a capsized boat being washed against the ashore, in St. Petersburg Florida, as Hurricane Helene lies offshore, on 26 September. Photo: AFP/ Getty - Joe Raedle Evacuation orders have been issued for some parts of coastal Florida ahead of the arrival of the potentially deadly Hurricane Helene. Authorities in the area are pleading with people to take precautions and move from dangerous areas, as winds could reach more than 209km/h, and seawater pushed inland by the storm could reach 6.1 metres in some places - as high as a two-story building. The storm was already causing damage and flooding in some areas while offshore, on the evening of Thursday 26 September, Florida time (about midday Friday NZ time). Here's w...

By Karl Puschmann* Opinion -The clue is right there in the title. Ellen DeGeneres' new comedy special is called For Your Approval and throughout its 70-minute run time it becomes obvious that the cancelled comic doesn't just want our approval, she needs it in the same way that we need oxygen. But are we prepared to give it? Not you or I personally, but rather 'we' the amorphous collective blob of opinion and judgement that cancelled the once-beloved comic and chatshow host three years ago and now have to decide if we deem this act of self-flagellation worthy of absolution. Ellen DeGeneres doesn't offer is a wholehearted and sincere apology for being mean in For Your Approval. Photo: Netflix Or if we don't. But the real questions posed by For Your Approval aren't whether or not we'r...

Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives for the 2018 Met Gala on May 7, 2018, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Photo: AFP / Angela Weiss This story contains details that may may upset some readers US hip hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs' arrest on sex trafficking charges and various sexual assault lawsuits has put the spotlight on those he associated with and had ties to, including celebrities who attended his famous 'White Parties', most of whom have remained quiet since his scandal. The 54-year-old rapper was arrested in New York this month, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami. What is going on with Sean 'Diddy' Combs? The father of seven has continuously denied criminal wrongdoing a...

By Lewis Jackson, Reuters Defence Minister Judith Collins said and naval vessels from New Zealand and Australia sailed through the sensitive strait on Wednesday. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Naval vessels from New Zealand and Australia sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, according to a statement from New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins on Thursday. The two ships sailed through the sensitive strait from 2pm local time on Wednesday in what Collins described as a routine activity consistent with international law. "The New Zealand Defence Force conducts all activities in accordance with international law and best practice," she said. It was the first time a New Zealand naval ship had passed through the strait since 2017, she added in a statement. A Japanese newspaper...

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has condemned countries' "abuse of the veto" at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He also used his speech to announce New Zealand would campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council for the 2039-2040 term. Aotearoa was voted onto the Security Council in 2014 after a 10-year campaign, serving two years in 2015 and 2016. In Friday's speech, Peters spoke about New Zealand's history with the UN, concerns about "abuse of the veto", Russia's war on Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. He began by reflecting on the creation of the UN Charter in San Francisco after World War II, saying New Zealand's concerns about the veto could be traced that far back. "Forged in the immediate aftermath of that war, then-New Zealand prime minister Peter Fraser ...