Tag Archives: Jacinda Ardern

World

2 dead, 2 missing as rain pounds New Zealand’s largest city

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Police said Saturday that two people had died and two more were missing as record levels of rainfall pounded New Zealand’s largest city, causing widespread disruption.

Authorities declared a state of emergency for the Auckland region and the nation’s new Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, flew to the city on a military plane to assess the damage. Hipkins was sworn in to the top job on Wednesday after Jacinda Ardern resigned.

Hipkins said the rain had hit the city fast. “Aucklanders need to brace for the fact there could be more rain,” he said.

Earlier, hundreds of people were stranded at Auckland Airport overnight after the airport stopped all flights and parts of the terminal were flooded.

Friday was the wettest day ever recorded in Auckland, according to weather agencies, as the amount of rain that would typically fall over the entire summer hit in a single day. On Friday evening, more than 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rain fell in just three hours in some places.

Police said they found one man’s body Friday evening in a flooded culvert and another man’s body early Saturday in a flooded carpark, and they were continuing to investigate both deaths.

Police said a third man had been reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters while a fourth person remained unaccounted for after a landslide brought down a house in the suburb of Remuera.

Video posted online showed chest-deep water in some places.

Lawmaker Ricardo Menéndez posted a video of water surging into houses. “We’ve just had to evacuate our home as the water was already rising rapidly and coming in aggressively,” he tweeted.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said crews had responded to more than 700 incidents across the region and staff had taken more than 2,000 emergency calls.

“We had every available career and volunteer crew on the road responding to the most serious events,” said district manager Brad Mosby.

Mosby said crews had rescued 126 people who were trapped in houses or cars, or who had been involved in vehicle crashes.

Air New Zealand said it resumed domestic flights in and out of Auckland on Saturday afternoon, but wasn’t yet sure when international flights would resume.

“The flooding has had a huge impact our Auckland operations,” said David Morgan, the airline’s chief operational integrity and safety officer. “We’re working on getting customers to their final destinations and getting our crew and aircraft back in the right place. It might take a few days to get everything back on track.”

In a series of updates on Twitter, Auckland Airport said people were able to leave the airport early Saturday for their homes or accommodation after hundreds spent the night in the terminal.

“It’s been a long and challenging night at Auckland Airport, we thank everyone for ongoing patience,” the airport wrote.

“Unfortunately, due to earlier flooding in the baggage hall, we are currently unable to return checked luggage to you,” the airport wrote. “Your airline will make arrangements for its return at a later time.”

The airport on Friday said it was reducing its runway operations after an arriving aircraft had damaged runway lighting.

The storm also caused an Elton John concert to be canceled just before it was due to start Friday night. A second concert by John that was planned at the stadium on Saturday night was also canceled.

About 40,000 people were expected to attend each concert at Mt Smart Stadium. Thousands were already at the venue Friday night when organizers decided to cancel not long before John was due to take the stage at 7:30 p.m.

The concert was billed as a final farewell tour for John. Frontier Touring, one of the concert promoters, tweeted the concert had been canceled due to unsafe weather conditions.

Many concertgoers who had braved the conditions were frustrated the decision hadn’t been made hours earlier.

Weather agency MetService warned of flash flooding and hazardous driving conditions. On Friday night, transport authorities closed parts of State Highway 1, the main highway that bisects Auckland.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Radio New Zealand, “We need the rain to stop. That’s the main issue.”

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Business

Employee Engagement Is Actually Falling. Just Don’t Call It ‘Quiet Quitting.’

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Here is the published version of this week’s Forbes Careers newsletter, which brings the latest news, commentary and ideas about the workplace, leadership, job hunting and the future of work straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Click here to get on the newsletter list!

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to rage-read about “rage applying.” I’ve not-so-silently soured on “quiet quitting.” And if one more email hits my inbox about “quiet hiring” or some other supposed trend, it’s going straight to the junk folder.

Enough already.

After three years of pandemic-fueled remote work, record numbers of resignations, heightened burnout and now mass layoffs, I get that it feels like there should be a name for the stress, the turnover, and the disruption of the last few years. Indeed, that may be why—not to mention the incessant cycle of journalists, social media posts and public relations folks who repeat and recirculate these terms—we won’t stop making up words about work, as Vox’s Rani Molla wrote recently.

But talk to anyone who leads human resources teams, and you’ll get an eye roll—and an ear full—when you bring up any of them. People have always applied for new jobs—and yes, many at once—out of frustration in their current ones. “Quiet hiring” is repackaged internal mobility—which may sound like a sinister way to avoid bringing on new employees but can also help reassign underutilized people who might otherwise be laid off.

“Why do [these terms] always have to be alliteration? Why do they have to be two words? I guess we like short form communications,” Paul Rubenstein, the chief people officer at Visier, said in a recent interview. “None of them are truly unique.”

Sure, engagement is lower than it has been. Employee engagement arbiter Gallup released its latest figures Wednesday, and it is seeing a further drop in the data. In 2021, employee engagement in the U.S. saw its first annual decline in a decade, dropping from 36% of employees being “engaged” (which it defines as a measure of the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work) to 34% in 2021.

That continued into 2022, Gallup reported Wednesday, with now just 32% of full- and part-time employees being engaged. The percent of employees who were actively “disengaged” rose by two percentage points from 2021. Younger workers, women and people whose jobs could be done remotely but were required to be onsite daily—no surprise there—saw the biggest drops in engagement.

But while the numbers have gotten worse—and may be worse than they’ve been in a decade—it’s not like they’ve never been here before. Gallup’s data shows that 32% is still above the line of how many workers were “engaged” between 2000 and 2013, with some years dipping into the mid-20s on a percentage basis.

“People have been checking out and getting burned out at various stages of their careers forever—forever,” Amy Zimmerman, chief people officer at Relay Payments, told me recently. “It’s just the whole concept of engagement”—or disengagement.

The real question, of course, is which way the line will go from here. If a bad recession worsens people’s relationships with their jobs, and the line falls consistently below where engagement bounced around for the last 20 years, then perhaps something fundamental has shifted, and is deserving of a new term. If it stays where it is, or the threat of a recession reminds people that doing the bare minimum may not help keep them employed, I’m not so sure.

In the meantime, let’s try to retire the repetition of these cringe-worthy terms. At a time of mass layoffs and ongoing gun violence and mental health concerns, workers—and the people who lead them—have bigger issues to focus on. Yes, companies are filling slots with temp workers or reassigning people to jobs where they need them more. People are struggling with burnout and staying engaged in their jobs. And fed up workers are now—and always will be—looking for other jobs when their current one isn’t panning out. We don’t need a catchy name to talk about it.

FEATURED STORY

The New Perk For Women Executives: Membership In This Exclusive Group

The executive women’s network Chief is launching a new offering aimed at corporate customers that will not only fast-track membership review of employers’ eligible women leaders, but automatically have companies foot the bill. Called Chief Enterprise, the new service could lead to growth at the Series B-funded network—as long as employers don’t pull back their spending on diversity commitments or leadership initiatives amid an economic downturn. Read more on Forbes’ exclusive here.

WORK SMARTER

Practical insights and advice from contributors for building your career, leading smarter and finding balance.

No one likes the “what’s your greatest weakness?” question. Here’s how to answer it.

There are upsides to being ordered back to the office. Try to focus on them if you’re down about losing remote work privileges.

There are lots of reasons why diversity, equity and inclusion efforts fail. Here are three of the biggest.

Compassion—not fear—is the key for the most successful leaders.

To prevent stress and burnout, focus on progress—not results.

ON OUR AGENDA

News from the world of work

Microsoft’s big AI bet: ChatGPT maker Open AI got a “game-changing,” multibillion-dollar investment from Microsoft, according to Bloomberg, as the tech giant adds to its commitment to the viral artificial intelligence chatbot, which could have big impacts on how we work.

Layoffs surge: Spotify slashed 6% of jobs, and cuts recently hit 3M, crypto exchange Gemini, Alphabet and Wayfair. Tech stocks have surged as investors cheer massive job cut announcements even while employees around the world are facing a job security crisis, a survey of 35,000 workers shows. Nearly 60,000 people were laid off in January alone as major firms increased cuts.

A consultant for the Oval: Ron Klain, President Biden’s chief of staff, will be replaced by former covid czar Jeff Zients, according to multiple reports. The former consultant will face a tough job, navigating a split Congress, growing questions about Biden’s handling of classified documents, and the ramp up to the 2024 election.

Another founder passes the baton: Netflix’s Reed Hastings is stepping down as co-CEO from the streaming service after a rocky year, as one of the few major tech company founders still in place departs the top job.

Ardern’s surprise resignation: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shocked the world when she announced her resignation, saying she no longer has “enough in the tank to do” her leadership job justice. The decision prompted a parade of commentary on women, leadership and burnout—from how other women may relate to the impact her association with the pandemic may have had on her career.

READING LIST

An expansion of our near-weekly book pick to include links, surveys and other reads from around the web.

Deep Work author and Digital Minimalism advocate Cal Newport talks with the New York Times about “slow productivity,” the problem with context switching, and why working on a personal computer all day hasn’t really made workers more efficient.

Layoffs are really bad for companies, writes Bloomberg columnist Sarah Green Carmichael, citing the surprisingly consistent research that shows the downsides for the employers—and the people—who remain.

Stanford University business school professor Jeff Pfeffer—one of my favorite people to talk with about what businesses get wrong when managing people—talks with Stanford News about why there are so many tech layoffs, and the role “contagion” has in expanding them.

Performance coach Stefan Falk has a new book out Feb. 7, Intrinsic Motivation: Learn To Love Your Work And Succeed As Never Before, which explores how becoming happier and more productive relies on finding inherent satisfaction in our work rather than in external rewards.

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World

New Zealand’s Education Minister Chris Hipkins is set to replace Jacinda Ardern as PM

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CNN
 — 

Chris Hipkins, New Zealand’s education minister, is set to replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, after her shock resignation announcement earlier this week.

Hipkins was the only candidate to be nominated for the leadership of the ruling Labour party, the party announced in a statement on Saturday morning.

“The Labour Party caucus will meet at 1pm on Sunday to endorse the nomination and confirm Chris Hipkins as leader,” Labour Party Whip Duncan Webb said in the statement.

New Zealand’s next general election will be held on October 14.

Ardern said Thursday that she would stand aside for a new leader, saying she doesn’t believe she has the energy to seek reelection in the October polls.

Speaking at a news conference then, Ardern said her term would end by February 7, when she expected a new Labour prime minister will be sworn in – though “depending on the process that could be earlier.”

Hipkins previously oversaw New Zealand’s pandemic management as Covid-19 response minister in Ardern’s cabinet.

According to his official profile, Hipkins first joined the government as senior advisor to two education ministers and later in the office of then-Prime Minister Helen Clark.

He entered Parliament in 2008 and became the spokesperson for education at the beginning of 2013.

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World

New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, an icon to many, to step down

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who became a global icon of the left and exemplified a new style of leadership, said Thursday that she would leave office.

Just 37 when she became leader, Ardern was praised around the world for her handling of the nation’s worst-ever mass shooting and the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. But she faced mounting political pressures at home and a level of vitriol from some that hadn’t been experienced by previous New Zealand leaders.

Still, her announcement came as a shock throughout the nation of 5 million people.

Fighting back tears, Ardern told reporters in Napier that Feb. 7 would be her last day as prime minister after five and a half years in office.

“I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple,” she said.

Lawmakers in her Labour Party will vote for a new leader on Sunday.

Ardern became an inspiration to women around the world after first winning the top job in 2017. She seemed to herald a new generation of leadership — she was on the verge of being a millennial, had spun some records as a part-time DJ, and wasn’t married like most politicians.

In 2018, Ardern became just the second elected world leader to give birth while holding office. Later that year, she brought her infant daughter to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

She notched up center-left victories while right-wing populism was on the rise globally, pushing through a bill targeting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, overseeing a ban on assault weapons, and largely keeping the coronavirus out of New Zealand for 18 months.

Her approach to the pandemic earned the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, and she pushed back against wildly exaggerated claims from Trump about the spread of COVID-19 after he said there was a massive outbreak and “It’s over for New Zealand. Everything’s gone.”

“Was angry the word?” Ardern said about Trump’s comments in an interview with The Associated Press at the time.

In March 2019, Ardern faced one of the darkest days in New Zealand’s history when a white supremacist gunman stormed two mosques in Christchurch and slaughtered 51 worshippers during Friday prayers. Ardern was widely praised for her empathy toward survivors and New Zealand’s wider Muslim community in the aftermath.

After the mosque shootings, Ardern moved within weeks to pass new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. A subsequent buyback scheme run by police saw more than 50,000 guns, including many AR-15-style rifles, destroyed.

Less than nine months after the shooting, she faced another tragedy when 22 tourists and guides were killed when the White Island volcano erupted.

Ardern was lauded globally for her country’s initial handling of the pandemic after New Zealand managed to stop the virus at its borders for months. But she was forced to abandon that zero-tolerance strategy as more contagious variants spread and vaccines became widely available.

She faced growing anger at home from those who opposed coronavirus mandates and rules. A protest against vaccine mandates that began on Parliament’s grounds last year lasted for more than three weeks and ended with protesters hurling rocks at police and setting fires to tents and mattresses as they were forced to leave. This year, Ardern canceled an annual barbecue she hosts due to security fears.

Ardern last month announced that a wide-ranging Royal Commission of Inquiry would look into whether the government made the right decisions in battling COVID-19 and how it could better prepare for future pandemics. A report is due next year.

Many observers said sexism played a role in the anger directed at Ardern.

“Her treatment, the pile on, in the last few months has been disgraceful and embarrassing,” wrote actor Sam Neill on Twitter. “All the bullies, the misogynists, the aggrieved. She deserved so much better. A great leader.”

But Ardern and her government also faced criticism that it had been big on ideas but lacking on execution. Supporters worried it hadn’t made promised gains on increasing housing supply and reducing child poverty, while opponents said it was not focusing enough on crime and the struggling economy.

Ardern described climate change as the great challenge for her generation. But her polices faced skepticism and opposition, including from farmers who protested plans to tax cow burps and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Ardern had been facing tough prospects at the ballot box. Her center-left Labour Party won reelection in 2020 with a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.

She said the role required having a reserve to face the unexpected.

“But I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job,” Ardern said. “I am leaving because with such a privileged role comes responsibility. The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not.”

She said her time in office had been challenging but fulfilling.

“I am entering now my sixth year in office, and for each of those years, I have given my absolute all,” she said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Ardern “has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength.”

“She has demonstrated that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities,” Albanese tweeted. “Jacinda has been a fierce advocate for New Zealand, an inspiration to so many and a great friend to me.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Ardern on Twitter for her friendship and “empathic, compassionate, strong, and steady leadership.”

Ardern charted an independent course for New Zealand. She tried to take a more diplomatic approach to China than neighboring Australia, which had ended up feuding with Beijing. In an interview with the AP last month, she said that building relationships with small Pacific nations shouldn’t become a game of one-upmanship with China.

New Zealand Opposition Leader Christopher Luxon said Ardern had been a strong ambassador for the country on the world stage. He said that for his party “nothing changes” and it remains intent on winning this year’s general elections to “deliver a government that can get things done for the New Zealand people.”

Ardern announced that vote will be held on Oct. 14 and that she will remain a lawmaker through April. Because she will leave Parliament within six months of an election, no special election for her seat is needed.

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson announced that he won’t contest the leadership of the Labour Party, throwing open for the competition for who will take over as prime minister from February until the election. Among the frontrunners is Education Minister Chris Hipkins.

If no candidate gets at least two-thirds support from the caucus when Labour lawmakers vote on Sunday, then the leadership contest will go to the wider party membership. Ardern has recommended the party chose her replacement by the time she steps down.

Ardern said she hadn’t had too much time to reflect on her tenure in the role, although she noted that it had been marked with crises.

“It’s one thing to lead your country in peace times, it’s another to lead them through crisis. There’s a greater weight of responsibility, a greater vulnerability amongst the people, and so in many ways, I think that will be what sticks with me,” she said. “I had the privilege of being alongside New Zealand during crisis, and they placed their faith in me.”

Aya Al-Umari, whose brother Hussein was killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks, tweeted her “deepest gratitude” to Ardern, saying her compassion and leadership during that grim day “shone a light in our grief journey.”

“I have a mixture of feelings, shocked, sad but really happy for her,” Al-Umari wrote.

Ardern said she didn’t have any immediate plans after leaving office, other than family commitments with her daughter, Neve, and her fiancé, Clarke Gayford, after an outbreak of the virus thwarted their earlier wedding plans.

“And so to Neve, Mum is looking forward to being there when you start school this year,” Ardern said. “And to Clarke, let’s finally get married.”

___

Associated Press reporter Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.

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World

Jacinda Ardern: New Zealand PM to resign before upcoming election

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CNN
 — 

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday she will stand aside for a new leader within weeks, saying she doesn’t believe she has the energy to seek re-election in the October polls.

Speaking at a news conference, Ardern said her term would end by February 7, when she expects a new Labour prime minister will be sworn in – though “depending on the process that could be earlier.”

“The decision was my own,” Ardern said. “Leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also the most challenging. You cannot and should not do the job unless you have a full tank, plus a bit in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges.”

“I no longer have enough in the tank to do the job justice,” she added.

When Ardern became prime minister in 2017 at the age of 37, she was New Zealand’s third female leader and one of the youngest leaders in the world. Within a year, she had given birth in office – only the second world leader ever to do so.

– Source:
CNN
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See the moment Jacinda Ardern fired back at reporter’s question about gender

She was re-elected for a second term in 2020, the victory buoyed by her government’s “go hard and go early” approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw New Zealand impose some of the world’s strictest border rules, separating families and shutting out almost all foreigners for almost two years.

On Thursday, Ardern spoke candidly about the toll the job has taken and reflected on the various crises her government has faced, including both the pandemic and the 2019 Christchurch terror attack, which killed 51 people at two mosques.

The attack was a defining moment of Ardern’s leadership, and her rapid response won widespread praise. She swiftly introduced gun law reforms, wore a hijab to show her respect for the Muslim community and publicly said she would never speak the name of the alleged attacker.

“The only interesting angle that you will find is that after going on six years of some big challenges, I am human. Politicians are human,” she said. “We give all that we can for as long as we can, and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time.”

Ardern also highlighted achievements made during her tenure, including legislation on climate change and child poverty. “I wouldn’t want this last five and a half years to simply be about the challenges. For me, it’s also been about the progress,” she said.

Bryce Edwards, a political scientist at New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington, said Ardern’s resignation was “shocking” but not a complete surprise.

“She is celebrated throughout the world but her government has plummeted in the polls,” he said.

New Zealand’s next general election will be held on October 14.

A former DJ and lapsed Mormon, Ardern was the closest thing New Zealand had to a rockstar politician, attracting mass rallies and wall-to-wall press coverage. She enjoyed particular support among young people, in a wave dubbed “Jacindamania” during her first election.

That popularity has extended overseas, with Ardern gracing the covers of Vogue and Time magazine, and hosting American TV personality Stephen Colbert at her suburban Auckland home.

But while Ardern gained supporters globally for her fresh and empathetic approach to the role, her popularity has waned in New Zealand in recent years, with some critics arguing she has done little to deliver the transformational government she promised when first elected.

Several polls in late 2022 showed falling support for Ardern and her Labour Party, with some at the lowest level since she took office in 2017, according to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand.

Edwards, the political analyst, said Ardern’s decision to stand down perhaps spares her a disappointing election result.

“Leaving now is the best thing for her reputation … she will go out on good terms rather than lose the election,” he said.

Edwards said there isn’t “anyone obvious” to replace her, though potential candidates include Police and Education Minister Chris Hipkins, who has a strong relationship with Ardern, and Justice Minister Kiri Allan.

Ardern said she has no firm plans about what she’ll do next – but she is looking forward to spending more time with her family again. “Arguably, they’re the ones that have sacrificed the most out of all of us,” said Ardern.

Addressing her child and fiance, she said: “For Neve, Mom is looking forward to being there when you start school this year, and to Clarke, let’s finally get married.”

Ardern has been engaged to television host Clarke Gayford since 2019.

– Source:
CNN
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A look at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s profile

Ardern gained a reputation as a trailblazer while in office, speaking frequently about gender equality and women’s rights.

For instance, when announcing her pregnancy in 2018, she underlined women’s ability to balance work with motherhood.

“I am not the first woman to multi-task, I’m not the first woman to work and have a baby, I know these are special circumstances but there will be many women who will have done this well before I have,” she said at the time, with Gayford taking on the role of a stay-at-home dad.

After giving birth, she and Gayford brought their 3-month-old baby to the United Nations General Assembly, with Ardern telling CNN she wanted to “create a path for other women” and help make workplaces more open.

In a 2021 interview with CNN, she reflected on her rise to power, saying: “It was not so long ago that being a woman in politics was a very isolating experience.”

The announcement of her impending resignation on Thursday spurred a wave of support on social media, including from other political leaders, with many pointing out the legacy she is leaving for women in politics.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted praise for Ardern, saying she “has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength” and has been “a great friend to me.”

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also tweeted her best wishes for Ardern, saying she was “a source of inspiration to me and many others.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared a photo on Twitter of him and Ardern walking together, thanking her for her friendship and “empathic, compassionate, strong, and steady leadership over these past several years.”

“The difference you have made is immeasurable,” he added.

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World

New Zealand PM Ardern caught name-calling rival on hot mic

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was caught on a hot mic Tuesday using a vulgarity against a rival politician in a rare misstep for a leader known for her skill at debating and calm, measured responses.

After five years as prime minister, Ardern faces a tough election campaign in 2023. Her liberal Labour Party won reelection two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.

The comment came after lawmaker David Seymour, who leads the libertarian ACT party, peppered Ardern with questions about her government’s record for around seven minutes during Parliament’s Question Time, which allows for spirited debate between rival parties.

As an aside to her deputy Grant Robertson, Ardern said what sounded like, “He’s such an arrogant pr———,” after sitting down. Her words are barely audible on Parliament TV but are just picked up in the background by her desk microphone as House Speaker Adrian Rurawhe talks.

Ardern’s office said she apologized to Seymour for the comment. When asked by The Associated Press to clarify, Ardern’s office did not dispute the comment. In an interview with the AP, Seymour said she had used those words.

“I’m absolutely shocked and astonished at her use of language,” Seymour said. “It’s very out of character for Jacinda, and I’ve personally known her for 11 years.”

He said it was also ironic because his question to the prime minister had been about whether she had ever admitted a mistake as leader and then fixed it. “And she couldn’t give a single example of when she’s admitted she’s wrong and apologized,” Seymour said.

Seymour said that in her text, Ardern wrote that she “apologized, she shouldn’t have made the comments, and that, as her mom said, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it.”

Seymour, who said he admired some of Ardern’s political skills immensely, said he’d written back to Ardern thanking her for the apology and wishing her a very Merry Christmas.

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World

These world leaders were not invited to the Queen’s funeral

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World leaders began arriving in London this weekend to attend the state funeral service of the late Queen Elizabeth II Monday at Westminster Abbey in London. 

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden were among hundreds of world leaders paying their respects to the monarch as she lies in state.

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska met with the Royal Family as her country’s representative, the BBC reports.

Controversial invites were also extended to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, though the BBC reports neither is expected to attend.

However, not all world leaders made the invite list. Leaders of these countries will not be joining Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral service.

Russia and Belarus

Russia and Belarus were both sanctioned earlier this year in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The U.K. slapped sanctions on Russia as part of efforts by the West to isolate Moscow and hurt the country’s economy. Neighboring Belarus was also targeted because of actions by its leader, President Alexander Lukashenko, to facilitate Russia’s war on Ukraine.

A spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry called the lack of an invite for Russian President Vladimir Putin”profoundly immoral,” according to the U.K.’s Sky News.

Syria and Venezuela

Syria and Venezuela didn’t receive invites because they don’t have full diplomatic relations with the U.K., according to Reuters. 

The UK closed its embassy in Syria in 2011 and was one of the first countries to recognize its opposition as the legitimate representative of Syria’s people.

In 2019, the U.K. joined the U.S. in recognizing opposition figure Juan Guaidó as the leader of Venezuela, refusing to recognize President Nicolás Maduro, who remains in office.

Afghanistan

The Taliban has struggled to gain any international recognition since its takeover last year, blaming the U.S. for being the “biggest hurdle” to diplomatic legitimacy.

The U.K. ambassador to the U.N. said last month that “the situation in Afghanistan remains critical” and that “the human rights situation is stark.”

Myanmar

The U.K. announced new sanctions against Myanmar earlier this year, part of a coordinated action with the U.S. and Canada to punish the country’s military regime after it took power in a violent coup last year.

Ambassadors only: North Korea, Nicaragua and Iran

North Korea, Nicaragua and Iran were permitted to send ambassadors, but not their heads of state, according to the Telegraph — meaning North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi are among the uninvited heads of state.

The U.K. last year joined with other Western powers to condemn North Korea for its human rights violations and weapons of mass destruction programs, calling the country “one of the most repressive and totalitarian regimes in the world.” In June, the U.K. criticized China and Russia for vetoing new United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

After last year’s elections in Nicaragua, the U.K. government condemned the process as “neither free, nor fair” and expressed concern for “the deterioration of political and human rights” in the country. The government sanctioned a number of high-ranking Nicaraguan politicians and officials following the election.

The U.K. reports having a “sizeable Iranian population” within its borders and, along with much of the West, has long been wary of Iran’s nuclear operations. The British ambassador to the U.N. in June called Iran’s nuclear situation “a threat to international peace and security.”

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World

Omicron Cases Put New Zealand on Red Alert, Leader Ardern Cancels Wedding

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SYDNEY—New Zealand moved to the highest level of its Covid-19 restrictions as it seeks to contain an Omicron-variant outbreak that also led Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern

to cancel her wedding plans.

Ms. Ardern said on Sunday that nine Covid-19 cases in the Nelson Marlborough region, on the country’s South Island, had been confirmed as Omicron. The nine cases are from a single family who flew earlier this month to Auckland—New Zealand’s largest city, located on the North Island—to attend a wedding and other events. A further case from the same household has also been confirmed.

New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern at a press conference on Sunday.



Photo:

Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald/Associated Press

Early estimates, authorities said, suggest that well over 100 people were at the events attended by the family. Ms. Ardern said that a fully vaccinated flight attendant who worked on a flight the family was on has tested positive for Omicron and worked while infectious.

“That means Omicron is circulating in Auckland and possibly the Nelson Marlborough region if not elsewhere,” said Ms. Ardern. Authorities are planning for cases to rise rapidly, potentially as high as 1,000 a day.

Of her decision to cancel her wedding to partner

Clarke Gayford,

Ms. Ardern said: “I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic.”

New Zealand, with a population of five million, was an early success story of the pandemic, adopting a version of China’s aggressive lockdowns and closing its border, which initially halted the spread of the virus. In October, the remote South Pacific country ended its effort to keep Covid-19 out, moving instead to actively controlling the virus.

The country has recorded about 15,500 cases and 52 deaths since the pandemic began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

As part of moving to the red setting of New Zealand’s traffic-light restrictions, businesses, schools and hospitality venues will remain open, but there will be mask mandates and limits on the size of gatherings. Hospitality businesses will be capped at 100 people indoors, and customers must be seated and separated. Events that include unvaccinated people will be smaller than those where everyone has been jabbed.

“I know those sorts of case numbers will sound deeply concerning for people to hear. But it’s important to remember that Covid is a different foe to what it was in the beginning,” said Ms. Ardern.

New Zealand has fully vaccinated roughly 76% of its population against Covid-19, according to the University of Oxford’s Our World in Data project. That is higher than the comparable rate for the U.S. at 63%.

Ms. Ardern said New Zealand would rely on a test-and-trace regime to combat the Omicron outbreak, similar to what it used against other strains such as Delta. People who have had contact with confirmed cases and are at risk of spreading the virus would be required to isolate, she said.

Write to Alice Uribe at alice.uribe@wsj.com

Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Appeared in the January 24, 2022, print edition as ‘New Zealand Moves to Highest Level of Covid Curbs.’

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Business

New Zealand pizza chain tells Greta Thunberg to ‘go to hell’ after she slammed Jacinda Ardern

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Popular pizza chain takes aim at eco-warrior Greta Thunberg after the teenager slammed Jacinda Ardern for ‘not doing anything’ about global warming

  • New Zealand company Hell Pizza told eco-warrior Greta Thunberg to ‘go to hell’
  • The company placed billboards in Thunberg’s hometown of Stockholm, Sweden
  • Created to show company’s offer of 100 per cent carbon neutral pizza deliveries
  • They wanted to prove companies were taking the crisis seriously in New Zealand

By Manoli Luxford For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:










A popular pizza chain has taken aim at eco-warrior Greta Thunberg after the teenager slammed Jacinda Ardern for ‘not doing anything’ about global warming.

New Zealand company Hell Pizza placed posters in Thunberg’s hometown of Stockholm in Sweden, that read: ‘Greta can go to Hell’.

However, the company’s cheeky message was created as an invitation, rather than an insult. 

Hell Pizza wanted to display its commitment to 100 per cent carbon neutral pizza deliveries in New Zealand.

New Zealand company Hell Pizza revealed on Tuesday that they had placed advertisements in Thunberg’s hometown of Stockholm in Sweden, inviting her to ‘Go to Hell’

‘We agree that there’s been a lot of blah, blah, blah lately about tackling global warming,’ Hell Pizza wrote.

‘That’s why the team at Hell Pizza here in New Zealand have been putting more effort into taking action, rather than adding to the global inferno of empty promises.’

The company added: ‘While we’re not suggesting we’re climate leaders, we hope that this may encourage other businesses to begin their sustainable journey right now, not in the year 20 whatever.’

This comes after Greta Thunberg criticised New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last month for her lacklustre performance in managing climate change

In a letter to the vocal environmentalist, the New Zealand pizza company wanted to prove that companies in the country were tackling the climate crisis.

‘So if you’re ever down here in the underbelly of the world and partial to a delicious slice of pizza (we highly recommend our Vegan Mischief ), then we hope you’ll be happy knowing you can go to Hell,’ they concluded.

Hell Pizza chief executive Ben Cumming, said in a statement to the NZ Herald: ‘Looking to the future, we want our 75 stores to be even more clean and green. This includes a national electric fleet of delivery vehicles, renewable energy within stores, and sourcing more than 95 per cent of food and materials within Aotearoa.’

Hell Pizza offers 100% carbon neutral deliveries by offsetting over 1 million deliveries every year through ‘carbon credits used for the regeneration and conservation of native forests’.

‘We hope our story might inspire other businesses to think about their impact on the planet, and we’d love to show Greta what Kiwi businesses are already doing to make the world a better place.’

This comes after Greta Thunberg criticised New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last month for her lacklustre performance in managing climate change and claimed no leaders had done anything captivating to combat the crisis.

Thunberg told The Guardian in an interview: ‘It’s funny that people believe Jacinda Ardern and people like that are climate leaders. That just tells you how little people know about the climate crisis.’

In a letter to the vocal environmentalist, the New Zealand pizza company wanted to prove that companies in the country were tackling the climate crisis.

Hell Pizza ceo Ben Cumming said there are plans to introduce electric vehicles for deliveries soon and hopes the company’s story inspires other businesses to act on the climate crisis

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World

New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern admits nation can’t get rid of coronavirus

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday acknowledged that the country can’t completely get rid of COVID-19, The Associated Press reported.

Ardern made the remark while announcing plans to ease lockdown restrictions in Auckland, allowing residents to be able to meet up with loved ones from one other household and go to the beach starting Tuesday. Early childhood education centers will also reopen.

“For this outbreak, it’s clear that long periods of heavy restrictions has not got us to zero cases,” Ardern said. “But that is OK. Elimination was important because we didn’t have vaccines. Now we do, so we can begin to change the way we do things.”

Since the beginning of the global pandemic, New Zealand pushed a zero-tolerance approach to the coronavirus by implementing strict lockdowns and aggressive contact tracing. 

While slowly returning back to normal life, the country experienced a new COVID-19 outbreak in August.

Ardern said that the seven-week lockdown in Auckland helped control the current situation, the AP reported.

The recent outbreak has led to more than 1,300 cases, with 29 new infections being detected on Monday.

Sixty-five percent of New Zealanders have received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with 40 percent of citizens now fully vaccinated. Vaccination rates have slowed after initially rising in response to the current outbreak, the AP noted.



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