World News

Officials expect will intensify as US voters head to the polls on Election Day. Photo: LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP The FBI has warned Americans about two new fake videos falsely citing terror threats and voter fraud, the latest in a string of disinformation that officials expect will intensify as voters head to the polls on Election Day and in the weeks afterward. One fabricated video purporting to be from the federal law enforcement agency falsely cited a high terror threat and urged Americans to "vote remotely," while another video includes a fake press release alleging to be from the agency and alleging rigged voting among inmates in five prisons. Both are "not authentic," the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement, "Attempts to deceive the public with false content about FBI thr...

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Photo: AFP It is election day in the United States, with Americans heading to the polls to choose Kamala Harris or Donald Trump as their next president. Opinion polls show the candidates running neck and neck in each of the seven states likely to determine the winner: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In Philadelphia yesterday, Vice President Harris repeated a common message that America was ready to move on from a decade of politics that she said had been driven by fear and division. Trump held his final campaign rally in Grand Rapids in Michigan - just as he did in 2016 and 2020 - and said he would fix all the country's problems and lower taxes. Follow all the latest updates with RNZ's live blog: ...

Anthony Field Photo: MARK DAVIS Before Anthony Field was the famous 'Blue Wiggle', he was in a band fresh out of school with his brothers, called The Cockroaches. Those bandmates gave him the nickname 'Happy'. "When I left school I would experiment with alcohol - some people get happy, some people get violent, but I was getting sad which wasn't much fun for people around me," Field recalls on RNZ's Nine to Noon where he talks to Kathryn Ryan about his new memoir Out of The Blue. Out of the Blue, by Anthony Field. Photo: supplied Field, 61, is a founding member of the Australian children's musical supergroup The Wiggles. He's the blue one - and the last remaining of the original foursome. The band has had phenomenal success: selling more than 30 million albums and DVDs, and more t...

By ABC's North America correspondent Barbara Miller, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US president and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI and Patrick T. Fallon / AFP Analysis: With election day upon us, it's worth remembering what that means for Americans. A friend told me she couldn't understand why people were scheduling meetings in her diary on election day. Didn't they understand how anxious she'd be? If the election is as close as predicted, half of this country's population will be left deeply disappointed after an ugly campaign filled with drama and violence during which they were told the stakes couldn't be higher. And as the polls open, it's a race as close as it's ever been. Americans will d...

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks on The Ellipse, Washington, DC, last month. Photo: AFP Both campaigns project optimism and focus on voter mobilisation. Trump gets an endorsement from podcaster Joe Rogan as Harris basks in celebrity support. Both sides will prepare for a challenge if Trump loses. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both predicted victory as they campaigned across Pennsylvania and other battleground states today in the final, frantic day of an exceptionally close US presidential election. The campaign has seen head-spinning twists: two assassination attempts and a felony conviction for Republican former President Trump, and Democratic Vice President Harris' surprise elevation to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden, 81,...

By Steve Holland and Nandita Bose, Reuters Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris arrives for a campaign rally at Michigan State University's Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan. Photo: JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP A presidential election unlike any other in US history enters its last full day with Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and their campaigns scrambling to get supporters to the polls in a contest each portrays as an existential moment for America. Even after the astonishing blur of events the last few months, the electorate is divided down the middle, both nationally and in the seven battleground states expected to decide the winner on Wednesday NZ time, although the closeness of the contest means it could take days for a winner to emerge. Trump, a 78-year-old Republican, su...

By Kirsty Needham, Reuters A bonus scheme introduced last year will be extended until 2028 and expanded through the middle ranks, offering A$40,000 to defence force members who stay. Photo: DAVID GRAY / AFP Australia will spend A$600 million (NZ$672m) on defence reserve recruitment and extending a cash bonus to retain troops as the centre-left Albanese government seeks to overcome workforce shortages, officials are expected to announce on Tuesday. A review of Australia's defence force last year identified severe workforce pressures as a priority issue, even as the government lifts its defence budget to a record A$51.5 billion annually, revamping its northern military bases and acquiring long range strike capabilities. A defence workforce plan expected to be released on Tuesday cites ...

By Alysia Thomas-Sam and Mike Lorigan, ABC 3D-printed guns come in an array of colours and can resemble children's toys. Photo: ABC News: Michael Nudl The lethal FGC-9 semi-automatic weapon can fire up to 30 rounds without needing to be reloaded and is the most popular 3D-printed gun in Australia, based on seizures in every state and territory over the past 12 months. Police say the gun, branded under the name ''F*** Gun Control", is increasingly being found in the hands of organised crime groups, extremists and teenagers around the world. These guns are deadly and far more advanced than the homemade wood and metal piece that was in 2022 used to kill former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. At the Australian Federal Police forensics headquarters in Canberra, the ballistics team man...

Elizabeth Hurley and Damian Hurley pose for a photo during 2024 Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 05, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Sam Tabone/Getty Images As two New Zealanders vie for the best dressed and best suited titles at Melbourne Cup 2024 Fashions on the Field event, check out some of the amazing looks rolling in as the gates open for racing. Going strong for 62 years and considered one of the highlights, Fashions on the Field includes contests over several days at Flemington Course, where the pool prize offered is more than $A370,000 ($NZ408,000). Even without a competition though, attendees and members at the Melbourne Cup racing itself are known to make an effort to dress up - making a statement with bright coloured outfits and eye-catching head p...

Britain's Prince William listens to a group of young people at the Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Programme in Cape Town. Photo: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP Britain's Prince William landed in Cape Town for a four-day trip to South Africa centred on his annual Earthshot Prize for environmental innovators. The heir to the British throne will attend a global wildlife summit and meet with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during the trip, which is his first to South Africa since 2010. On Wednesday he will participate in the awards ceremony for the Earthshot Prize, which gives five winners 1 million pounds (NZ$2.2 million) each to pursue projects addressing climate change and other environmental issues. William launched the prize in 2020, inspired by a visit to Namibia. Its name is a ...