41+ min ago (745+ words) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on trial facing corruption charges, announced today he had submitted a pardon request, saying the long-running cases were tearing the country apart. United States President Donald Trump wrote to Israeli President Isaac Herzog last month, asking him to pardon Netanyahu, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the proceedings. "The trial in my case has been ongoing for nearly six years, and is expected to continue for many more years," Netanyahu said in a video statement, without admitting guilt. He explained he wanted to see the process through until acquittal, "but the security and political reality - the national interest - dictate otherwise. The state of Israel is facing enormous challenges. "The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, arousing fierce divisions, intensifying rifts," he added. The cases against Netanyahu have exposed divisions in Israeli…...

2+ hour, 37+ min ago (353+ words) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has kicked off high-stakes talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida, as the United States pushes to end Russia's war against its neighbour. "This is not just about peace deals. It's about creating a pathway forward that leaves Ukraine sovereign, independent and prosperous," Rubio said at the start of the meeting. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were also attending the meeting. Ukrainian Security Council secretary Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation. "We are discussing about the future of Ukraine, about the security of Ukraine, about no repetition of aggression of Ukraine, about prosperity of Ukraine, about how to rebuild Ukraine," Umerov said as the talks kicked off on Sunday (local time). In a separate post on X, Umerov said he was in "constant contact" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy…...

3+ hour, 9+ min ago (674+ words) In a striking illusion, a train in Kagawa, Japan, seems to run across the open sea less than a minute after departing from a station. The train on the JR Yosan Line accelerates westward through the countryside after leaving Kaiganji Station in Tadotsu, Kagawa prefecture, filling the entire window with the blue open sea and islands of the Seto Inland Sea. The 5.5km section of the line through Takuma Station in Mitoyo in the prefecture opened in December 1913, offering an exceptional view free from seaside obstructions. "I'm used to it, so I don't think it's so special," said an 18-year-old high school student who uses the line daily on his commute. Typhoon No. 18, which made landfall in Shikoku in September 2017, brought a storm surge and waves that damaged an about 800m-long seawall between the two stations, causing it to shift in…...

3+ hour, 9+ min ago (1072+ words) The bystander effect may explain why no one intervened at a Tauranga fountain where a 4-year-old was lying "face down, a psychologist says. Tauranga girl Nia Lohchab drowned in the Memorial Park fountain on May 21, 2023. Coroner Matthew Bates released his findings in October and said he was "troubled that four people were captured on CCTV near the fountain, but no one pulled Nia out. He said at least three of the bystanders were "clearly aware of her lying in the water, and one appeared to be calling emergency services. Police removed Nia and began CPR when they arrived, about 13 minutes after she had entered the water. While it was "unlikely a bystander's intervention would have changed the outcome, the coroner said, minimising the time in water and starting CPR as soon as possible were "crucial steps for increasing the chances…...

3+ hour, 9+ min ago (809+ words) Rodrigo Olin-German is an HIV advocate who has lived with the virus since 2003. He is board chair of the Global Network of People living with HIV and head of services and outreach at the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa. Here, on World Aids Day, he talks to Paulette Crowley about what's it like living with HIV. Have you ever seen the movie Philadelphia? It's about a gay man with a very successful career as a lawyer. He had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which destroys your immune system. Like many people with HIV back when that movie was made in the 1990s, he got really sick and died. I watched that movie back in my homeland of Mexico when I was 20, while I was waiting for the results of an HIV test. I had symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection but doctors also tested…...

4+ hour, 9+ min ago (902+ words) Opponents of Auckland's planning rule changes for greater intensification argue that Christchurch has been given a softer target. Character Coalition chairwoman Sally Hughes said RMA Minister Chris Bishop had allowed Christchurch 30 years of zoned development, while she claims Auckland must provide more than 100 years. Auckland councillor Christine Fletcher and "r'kei Local Board member Troy Churton highlighted the contrast between the country's two largest cities, saying Auckland had capitulated to the Government's "golden number" that had to be met or exceeded. However, Bishop said Auckland Council was not required to zone for 100 years of development, and noted that the requirements for the two cities differed. Public consultation is under way on Plan Change 120, a controversial council proposal for a major makeover of Auckland's skyline. It would allow for greater intensification, which opponents claim would provide capacity for two million homes over…...

4+ hour, 9+ min ago (425+ words) Auckland Airport says salmon exports are taking off. Export volumes have been increasing at an average rate of 10% a year since 2017. And exports in the year to September were worth $140 million. More than 5200 tonnes of New Zealand salmon were sent overseas from the airport in the past year to September. Auckland Airport said more than two-thirds of air freighted salmon, 3445 tonnes, went to the US over the past year. China, Australia, Japan and Canada were the next largest markets. China was the fastest-growing market, with demand up 85% on the prior year. About 732 tonnes of salmon were sent to China. "We're seeing strong demand for high-quality seafood around the world," said Auckland Airport's chief customer officer, Scott Tasker. "Thanks to the speed and reach of air freight, New Zealand's salmon is arriving fresher than ever, going from our regions to restaurant…...

4+ hour, 9+ min ago (1019+ words) Ueneku Lodge is a 17-bedroom property on 217 Ponsonby Rd that is up for sale with a CV of $4.05 million. A couple who were among the largest recipients of the Government's emergency housing grants during the Covid-19 pandemic are selling their second multimillion-dollar motel this year. Auckland-based entrepreneurs Suresh and Seema Chatly ran nine motels in the region at the height of the Government's efforts to house rough sleepers during the pandemic. The Herald revealed the couple had received $22.4 million in Government emergency housing grants as of June 2022 over a six year period from 2017. But the pair are now selling a second large motel, Ueneku Lodge, in a prime Auckland location this year. The 17-bedroom property on 217 Ponsonby Rd is advertised as the "hottest trophy site in Ponsonby" with a CV of $4.05m. Data from the Ministry of Social Development show that,…...

8+ hour, 57+ min ago (512+ words) Rio Tinto's New Zealand Aluminium Smelters says it will spend $50 million on processing spent cell liner at its Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in Southland. The company said it was a big step forward in its long-term remediation programme. Highly toxic spent cell liner (SCL) had been stored at Mataura before a public outcry led to the company removing the material in 2021. SCL is a byproduct of the aluminium production process. Historically, it has been stored undercover in sheds and in a specially designed encapsulated pad on site. Since January 2024, New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) has worked with specialist processor Regain to safely treat SCL in Australia before it is reused in the global cement industry. "Our new facility at Tiwai Point means this processing will now take place in New Zealand, reducing the need for this processing to happen overseas…...

9+ hour, 23+ min ago (828+ words) Diabetes NZ is sounding the alarm over a new and "very challenging" uptick in children with type 2 diabetes. The charity has just finished its Diabetes Action Month, in an effort to get people at risk of the chronic metabolic disease to make an intervention for the sake of their own health. But they're warning that while people are aware young people can get type 1, they can also get type 2 " and it's becoming more prevalent. "It's an intergenerational one, and this is a new condition which is very challenging because it's very aggressive," Diabetes NZ CEO Heather Verry told Newstalk ZB's Real Life with John Cowan on Sunday night. "Years ago, type 2 was something you saw in adults " [now] we're seeing children at the age of 8 get it. People have commonly called type 2 "lifestyle [diabetes]', that's certainly not the case for…...