Largest city on the South Island, NZ — a British-influenced hub with a river-running core
A string of conservation-led projects across Derbyshire and surrounding areas has revived wetland habitats. White storks have been released in Willington Wetlands, lapwing chicks have hatched at Sanctuary Bird and Wildlife Reserve, and other sites report increasing butterfly and night heron activity as urban and rural restoration efforts continue.
New Zealand's Court of Appeal has rejected Brenton Tarrant's bid to overturn his March 2020 guilty pleas for the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, finding his claim that harsh prison conditions forced those pleas to be "utterly devoid of merit." The decision preserves his life sentence without parole and avoids a retrial, relieving victims' families.
Australia has moved to ban the National Socialist Network, now renamed, under a new law allowing designated hate groups to be outlawed. The move follows the Bondi Beach antisemitic attack that killed 15 people. The ban criminalizes support, funding, training, recruitment and directing the group, with penalties up to 15 years’ imprisonment. The government says the measure targets the group’s ability to organise and grow, amid ongoing legal challenges.
Endangered Japanese crested ibises have been released from cages in Hakui, marking a major boost for a species thought extinct on Honshu since the 1970s. A ceremony witnessed by Crown Prince Akishino celebrated the eight birds released, with conservation successes credited to a long-running concerted breeding program supported by international partners. Another 10 birds await release.
Recent studies show California’s San Andreas and San Jacinto faults are under stress at levels not seen in a millennium, raising the risk of a large, multi-fault rupture. Cajon Pass could act as a bridge or barrier, and preparedness measures are urged as hazard models improve with physics-based simulations.
Six nations teams start the Nations Championship by facing off against southern teams in July, with Scotland playing Argentina in Córdoba and a slate of matchups that will define the tournament’s early tone. The inaugural event will be broadcast on ITV and STV in the UK, with daily live coverage.
An American pilot has been killed in Papua, Indonesia, after rebels shot him and set his aircraft ablaze in Yahukimo. The West Papua National Liberation Army says the strike sends a message to the US and Indonesian governments amid a long-running independence struggle. The Indonesian military is scanning for perpetrators and seven Papuan passengers on board.
France rallies to beat Australia 34-21 in Brisbane, overturning a 21-12 halftime deficit with four second-half tries. Penaud’s injury update and Ntamack’s decisive moments shape the narrative ahead of Nations Championship clashes.
Sam Neill has died aged 78. His family has said he passed "sudden and unexpected" on Monday in Sydney, surrounded by family and cancer-free after treatment for angioimmunoblastic T‑cell lymphoma. Neill has built a five-decade career from New Zealand and earned global fame in films such as The Piano and Jurassic Park.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has begun legal action against Telegram for failing to remove pro-terror material, citing content linked to Christchurch and Buffalo attacks. Telegram contests the allegations as Russia charges its founder, Pavel Durov, with facilitating terrorism amid ongoing safety talks with Australia.