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☆ Gunmen Kill One, Kidnap at Least 150 in Nigeria's Northwest, Residents Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Hamza Ibrahim and Ahmed KingimiKANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - At least 150 people, including women and children, were abducted with one person killed in a coordinated attack by gunmen on four villages in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state, residents said on Saturday. The Zamfara police spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on the attack, which took place late on Friday. Residents told Reuters that gunmen on dozens of motorcycles stormed the villages of Mutunji, Kwanar-Dutse, Sabon-Garin Mahuta and Unguwar Kawo in the Maru local government area of the state. Dankandai Musa, a resident of one of the villages, told Reuters he managed to slip away unnoticed during the chaos. "I managed to escape after they were regrouping us and the people from the three other villages that were attacked," he said.

Persons: Hamza Ibrahim, Ahmed Kingimi KANO, Garin Mahuta, Dankandai Musa, Lawali Damana, Bola Tinubu, Elisha Bala, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Residents Locations: Nigeria, Nigeria's, Zamfara, Mutunji, Sabon

☆ New Zealand National Party's Luxon to lead new government
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Christopher Luxon, Leader of the National Party waves to supporters at his election party after winning the general election to become New Zealand’s next prime minister in Auckland, New Zealand, October 14, 2023. REUTERS/David Rowland Acquire Licensing RightsWELLINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - New Zealand's centre-right National Party led by Christopher Luxon will form a new government with its preferred coalition party ACT, as Prime Minister Chris Hipkins conceded his Labour Party could not form a government after Saturday's general election. The National Party, now in opposition, had 39% of the votes with 92% counted, while the ACT party had 9%. "On the numbers tonight National will be in the position to lead the next government," Luxon, a former executive who once ran Air New Zealand and entered politics just three years ago, told supporters in Auckland. The National-ACT majority is slim and the two parties may need support from the populist New Zealand First Party to form a government.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, David Rowland, Chris Hipkins, Ben Thomas, Jacinda Ardern, Hipkins, Maori's, Gareth Hughes, Nanaia Mahuta, Lucy Craymer, Edmund Klamann Organizations: National Party, New, REUTERS, Rights, ACT, Labour Party, Electoral, Air New, National, Zealanders, Labour, New Zealand First Party, Coalition, Green Party, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Auckland , New Zealand, Air New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand, New Zealanders

☆ New Zealand Foreign Minister to Attend UN as Prime Minister Campaigns at Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Lucy CraymerWELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand's foreign minister will attend the United Nations General Assembly before heading onto Washington for meetings on Pacific regional issues, leaving Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at home to campaign ahead of the Oct. 14 election. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a statement that she would participate in the United Nations leaders’ meetings starting this week on behalf at Hipkins and undertake a number of bilateral and multilateral meetings. "I’m looking forward to delivering the National Statement on behalf of New Zealand and reaffirming our close relationships with friends and key partners while in the United States," Mahuta said. Pacific Island countries are expected to meet with President Joe Biden next week for a second summit with the United States. "I am looking forward to having productive discussions in Washington DC to consider how the United States can help advance Pacific priorities," said Mahuta.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Chris Hipkins, Nanaia Mahuta, Mahuta, Joe Biden, Biden, Lucy Craymer, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, United Nations General Assembly, Labour, National Party, . Foreign, United Nations, Washington DC, Pacific . Locations: Washington, New Zealand, Hipkins, United States, Pacific

☆ In New Zealand, defence and security become election issues amid China’s Pacific push
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

“Foreign policy, defence, our relationship with the Pacific - all of that will be far more relevant and the public will be more conscious of it compared to other elections, where it's been pretty much non-existent,” said Josie Pagani, a political commentator and host of the pre-election foreign policy debate. Sixty-three percent of voters say inflation and the cost of living are a most important issues of the election, a poll by the Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor released in June said. A second survey released last week by the country’s national intelligence and security board found increasing levels of concern about defence, security and foreign policy. Foreign policy doesn't usually play in New Zealand elections, said Jason Young, an associate professor of international relations and politics at Victoria University. The opposition National party, which polls indicate will win control of the government, hasn’t released its defence policy and said it needs more detail about AUKUS.

Persons: it's, ”, Josie Pagani, Andrew Little, “, Chris Seed, Jason Young, Helen Clark, Nanaia Mahuta, hasn’t, Gerry Brownlee, Lucy Craymer, Gerry Doyle Organizations: WELLINGTON, ”, Foreign Affairs, Trade, Victoria University, Washington, Labour, National, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, China, Solomon, Ukraine, Pacific, Zealand, United States, Australia, Britain, “, AUKUS, Zealanders

WELLINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday the door was open for New Zealand to engage with the AUKUS weapons development and procurement project between the United States, Britain and Australia. The multi-stage AUKUS project announced in March is planned to culminate in the late 2030s and early 2040s with British and Australian production and operation of a new submarine class - SSN-AUKUS - and include "cutting edge" U.S. technologies. "The door's very much open for New Zealand and other partners to engage as they see appropriate going forward," Blinken told a news conference in Wellington. And so as we further develop AUKUS, as I said, the door is open to engagement." Blinken is New Zealand for just over a day as part of a three-country visit to the Pacific.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Chris Hipkins, Nanaia Mahuta, “, Mahuta, Renju Jose, Alasdair Pal, Stephen Coates Organizations: WELLINGTON, British, New, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Zealand, United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Wellington, Pacific, Solomon Islands, Solomon, Sydney

☆ New Zealand confident about IAEA advice on Fukushima water release plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta told the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog on Monday that her government has full confidence in the IAEA's advice on the proposed Fukushima treated water release. Following the release of the report, Grossi visited South Korea. He is currently in New Zealand before travelling to the Cook Islands where he will meet with Pacific Islands Forum chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown. The Pacific Islands Forum, a regional bloc of 17 island nations, has raised significant concerns about the release of the water fearing among other things the impact on fisheries. Mahuta said New Zealand acutely understands the effects nuclear testing has had on its Pacific neighbours in the past, and the government would continue to call for the release of the water to be dealt with through transparency and meaningful dialogue.

Persons: Nanaia Mahuta, Rafael Grossi, Japan's, Grossi, Mark Brown, Mahuta, Lucy Craymer, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: WELLINGTON, Zealand Foreign, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Pacific Islands Forum, Cook Islands, Thomson Locations: South Korea, New Zealand, Cook, Zealand, Lincoln

☆ New Zealand, in recession and heading to polls, goes pragmatic on China trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WELLINGTON, July 3 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins trod a careful line on his first trip to China last week as leader, focusing on trade and economic opportunities but avoiding contentious issues such as human rights abuses in Xinjiang or security concerns. New Zealand has long been seen as the most conciliatory towards China among the Five Eyes security grouping, which includes Australia, the U.S., Britain and Canada. “(Hipkins's) visit certainly gave China a tick in the international legitimacy box and Beijing has gained at least as much from Hipkins' visit as New Zealand exporters,” Victoria University's Ayson said. New Zealand exporters were prominent in the visit with a delegation of 29 businesses travelling with the prime minister to China. The most recent polls from late May put a coalition of opposition parties National and Act ahead of a Labour-Green party coalition.

Persons: Chris Hipkins trod, Hipkins, Jacinda Ardern, ”, Robert Ayson, “ Hipkins, Nanaia Mahuta, Xi Jinping, University's Ayson, David Capie, Derek J, Grossman, Biden, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: WELLINGTON, Zealand, Labour, Victoria University, Labour Party, Centre, Strategic Studies, National, Green, RAND Corp, Wellington, “, Thomson Locations: China, Xinjiang, Zealand, Australia, U.S, Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, Pacific, Taiwan Strait, Beijing, Hipkins, New Zealand, Auckland, United States, India, Russia, Washington

SYDNEY, June 27 (Reuters) - New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Tuesday she had a "very robust" discussion during an earlier meeting with her Chinese counterpart, as the leaders of the two countries prepare to meet. A report by the Australian newspaper said Mahuta received an "epic haranguing" and an "almighty dressing down" during a March meeting with China's foreign minister Qin Gang, in a potential sign of tensions in the relationship between New Zealand and its largest trading partner. "I would say that China is very assertive in the way that it conveys its interests," Mahuta told reporters on Tuesday, characterising the March meeting as "very robust". Mahuta did not elaborate further on the topics discussed in the meeting. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is currently leading a delegation to Beijing that arrived on Monday and includes some of New Zealand's biggest companies.

Persons: Nanaia Mahuta, Mahuta, Qin Gang, Chris Hipkins, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Alasdair Pal, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Zealand's, National People's Congress, Australia, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, China, Beijing, New, Sydney

☆ New Zealand highlights importance of partners in tense region
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - New Zealand, long known for its staunch independence in foreign policy, sees like-minded partners as key to helping it navigate a more strategically challenging environment in the Asia Pacific region, its foreign minister said on Thursday. The comments came as tensions mount between the United States and China and the two powers step up efforts to influence countries in the Pacific region where New Zealand sits. Mahuta said New Zealand must have a clear-eyed assessment of the nation's interests and values and determine which tools are right for different circumstances. "An independent foreign policy does not mean isolation, neutrality, or a fixed predetermined view of how we will act on a particular issue," she said. "As the world evolves, so must our foreign policy," Mahuta said, adding the country would invest in a range of partnerships - bilateral, regional and multilateral.

Persons: Nanaia Mahuta, Mahuta, Lucy Craymer, Sonali Paul Organizations: New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Asia, United States, China, Pacific, Auckland . New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Canada

☆ Britain's Cleverly leaves New Zealand early to focus on Sudan response
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] People look for water during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin AbdallahWELLINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - British Foreign Minister James Cleverly will leave New Zealand Friday and cut his Pacific tour short, his office said, as he focuses on coordinating Britain's response to the Sudan crisis. Cleverly had been scheduled to meet with Samoan officials and New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta in Samoa on Friday before undertaking a bilateral meeting and press briefing Saturday in New Zealand. "It’s with real regret that due to the ongoing situation in Sudan I’ve had to cut the visit short. The Foreign Office said on Thursday that Cleverly was skipping his Samoa stop and heading straight to New Zealand where he could better coordinate London's response to events in Africa.

☆ NZ Foreign Minister says encouraged China to support Pacific regional institutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - New Zealand's foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Tuesday she had encouraged China to support and strengthen Pacific regional institutions and uphold a 22-year old agreement that sees Pacific countries look after their own security needs. After returning from Beijing, Mahuta told reporters she had encouraged China to support regional Pacific architecture such as the Pacific Islands Forum, the Forum Fisheries Agency and the Biketawa agreement. New Zealand has consistently expressed concerns about the potential militarisation of the Pacific with China's military buildup in the South China Sea. Mahuta met with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, after he returned from a visit to Russia with President Xi Jinping. "Most of the emphasis from the Chinese side was on their efforts to encourage the peace plan that President Xi had put to President Putin," she said.

☆ New Zealand raises concerns with China on South China Sea, Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, March 25 (Reuters) - New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Saturday she had expressed concerns over the South China Sea and tensions in the Taiwan Strait during talks with her Chinese counterpart at the end of a visit to Beijing. "Nanaia Mahuta expressed concerns over developments in the South China Sea and increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait," the foreign minister's statement said. New Zealand has consistently expressed concerns about the potential militarisation of the Pacific, amid China's military buildup in the South China Sea. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the option of using force to take the island under its control, and claims a large part of the South China Sea. She invited Qin to visit New Zealand, and also flagged a potential visit by New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to China, perhaps this year.

☆ New Zealand foreign minister to meet Chinese counterpart in Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 20 (Reuters) - New Zealand's foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, will travel to China on Tuesday to meet her counterpart Qin Gang on the first such visit by a New Zealand minister since 2019. "New Zealand's relationship with China is one of our most important, complex and wide ranging," she said in a statement. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said New Zealand's position on China had not changed. Hipkins said he had not "certainly taken off the table" a trip to China this year. Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Alasdair Pal and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Support for New Zealand's Labour Party jumps after Hipkins replaces Ardern
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WELLINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Support for New Zealand's Labour Party has jumped to its highest level in almost a year after Chris Hipkins replaced Jacinda Ardern as prime minister and leader of the Labour Party. National is sitting at 37%, and is behind in Labour for the first time since early 2022. Hipkins had nailed the political messaging and managed to reconnect with former Labour supporters, said political commentator and former National Party staffer Ben Thomas. Carmel Sepuloni, the new deputy prime minister, who is of Samoan, Tongan and European descent, will be associate foreign minister. Hipkins's first official trip as prime minister will be to Australia next week where he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

☆ Explainer: When is the New Zealand prime minister election and how will it work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Jan 20 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will step down no later than Feb. 7 after a shock resignation on Thursday in which she said she "had no more in the tank". Leadership hopefuls will gather on Sunday when the centre-left Labour party caucus meets to elect a new leader, who will become prime minister. With Labour holding a majority in parliament, whoever they elect will become prime minister, helming the country for a little more than eight months before a general election set for Oct. 14. The caucus vote will be weighted at 40%, party members at 40% and unions at 20%. Transport Minister Michael Wood and Minister of Justice Kiri Allan are newer faces in parliament, elected in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Jan 19 (Reuters) - New Zealand's ruling Labour Party is looking for a new leader after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation on Thursday. A Labour Party vote for a new leader will take place on Sunday; the party leader will be prime minister until the next general election. He was senior adviser to two education ministers and served in the office of former Prime Minister Helen Clark. KIRI ALLANNew Zealand’s Minister of Justice, Kiri Allan, 39, would become the country's first prime minister of Maori descent, as well as the country’s first openly gay leader if elected. MICHAEL WOODMichael Wood, 42, has swiftly scaled Labour party ranks since joining parliament in 2016 after a landslide by-election victory.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama's Fiji First has not conceded defeat, while a coalition of three parties say they have a combined majority and have agreed on People's Alliance leader Sitiveni Rabuka as prime minister. In a statement on Facebook, Bainimarama said the military "has been deployed to complement the Police in maintaining law and order". Bainimarama has been prime minister for 16 years, taking power in a coup, and later winning two democratic elections in 2014 and 2018. New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand was "aware of the statement from Fiji's Police Commissioner". The prime minister must be voted in by more than 50% of lawmakers on the parliament floor.

☆ New Zealand increases funding for Vanuatu wharves
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta speaks during a session of the UN Human Rights Councill in Geneva, Switzerland February 28, 2022. New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a statement on Wednesday that building climate-resilient wharves and establishing reliable and regular shipping services would help the prosperity and wellbeing of the people of Vanuatu. The project is part of the Vanuatu Inter-Island Shipping Support Project, which has among a number of projects, has completed two wharves. New Zealand, alongside the government of Vanuatu and the Asian Development Bank, has been a co-financier of the project since 2012. Foreign investment in wharves in Vanuatu came into the spotlight in 2018 following media reports China wanted to establish a military base in Vanuatu after funding a wharf big enough to handle large warships.

☆ New Zealand suspends bilateral human rights dialogue with Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The New Zealand government said on Monday it has suspended its official bilateral human rights dialogue with Iran, saying bilateral approaches were "no longer tenable" with basic human rights being denied in the country. "Violence against women, girls or any other members of Iranian society to prevent their exercise of universal human rights is unacceptable and must end. This is clearly a difficult time for the people of Iran," Mahuta said. New Zealand and Iran had established the dialogue in 2018 with the stated hope of advancing human rights issues and concerns. The New Zealand government also last Wednesday updated its travel warnings for Iran and urged New Zealanders currently there to leave.

☆ NZ foreign minister says superpowers must listen to needs of Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WELLINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - New Zealand's foreign minister said on Thursday that the United States and China should engage with the Pacific through the Pacific Islands Forum, and work to address the needs of the region. Although the United States has considered the Pacific its maritime backyard since World War Two, China's influence has been increasing in recent years. Some of the Pacific nations have complained about being caught in the middle of the superpowers' battle for influence. The United States is holding a two-day summit with Pacific leaders that is focusing on issues such as climate change and health. read moreMahuta said she had told partners of the Blue Pacific meeting that listening to Pacific nations and their needs is crucial.

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