Ricky Gervais will skip the Golden Globes despite being nominated, citing the distance as too far. Photo / Getty ImagesRicky Gervais will skip the Golden Globes despite being nominated, citing the distance as too far. Photo / Getty ImagesRicky Gervais will skip the Golden Globes next month despite being nominated for an award because it’s “too far to go”. During an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life, Ricky – who has hosted the Golden Globes five times – explained: “I didn’t have any joy watching my fat face on screen. I just want peace and quiet …“I’m probably not going to the Golden Globes … It’s too far to go.

Trump claims US has hit and destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuela drug boatsVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Photo / Getty ImagesThe United States has hit and destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuela drug boats, President Donald Trump said today. It could amount to the first land strike of the military campaign against trafficking from Latin America. His confirmation of the incident comes as he ramps up pressure against Venezuela’s leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who has accused Trump of seeking regime change. “So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area, it’s the implementation area, that’s where they implement.

"And I guess the circulation around those low pressure systems mean that it's mostly the North Island and most of the South Island that gets the bulk of that weather. "The far south seems to miss out on it and Invercargill is likely to get some of the better weather, maybe drier weather. "It's mostly due to where that low pressure system is moving and the circulation around it. She said Invercargill did get "a bad rap" for weather because it was the most southerly city and the most exposed to cold Antarctic weather. The rainband will sink further south, affecting eastern areas of the South Island from today until the end of the year.

Holiday traffic was also causing delays southbound on SH1 in Waikato between Hamilton and Tīrau. As of 3pm, much of the southbound traffic build-up was starting to lessen. Image / NZTAEarlier this afternoon, the NZTA traffic dashboard indicated the route from Bombay to Auckland City on SH1 would take 14 minutes longer than usual. The route from Auckland City to Bombay via SH1, SH20, and SH16 was initially expected to take about 20 minutes longer than usual. The NZTA holiday journey planner predicted that the traffic southbound on SH1 from Manukau to Bombay will remain busy until 4.30pm.

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The lowest road toll in recent history was in 2013, where 253 people died in crashes. Director of road policing Superintendent Steven Greally told the Herald there are many variables that impact the road toll, but its decline can partly be attributed to an increase in road policing efforts over the past three years. The 2025 road toll is on track for historic lows amid tougher policing, safer roads and a weak economy. “Road policing is just one aspect of that.”AA agreed increased police presence and alcohol enforcement on roads has helped reduce road deaths. Newly released 2024 figures show alcohol-related road deaths fell from 92 in 2023 to 57 in 2024.

The Japanese 10 year bond yield is up + bp and back at 2.05%. The Australian 10 year bond yield starts today at 4.74%, dipping - bp from yesterday. The NZ Government 10 year bond rate starts today at 4.56%, down -2 bps on that same basis. That all means our TWI-5 starts today just on 62.1, and also down -20 bps from yesterday. The bitcoin price starts today at US$87,663 and virtually unchanged from this time yesterday.

Tyler Robinson attends a virtual court hearing from Utah County Jail. Photo / Getty ImagesThe judge presiding over the criminal case of Tyler Robinson, accused of killing political activist Charlie Kirk, has ordered transcripts and audio recordings from a previously closed court hearing to be made public. Fourth District Judge Tony Graf issued the ruling during a video conference hearing today, according to the New York Post. “This case generates extraordinary, ongoing national and international attention, some of which is threatening in nature to the parties, the representatives and non-party participants,” Graf said. “The safety and wellbeing of all involved in this matter outweighs the interests of the public that are served by open court records.”The material to be released comes from an October 24 closed-door hearing that considered whether Robinson would be allowed to appear in court unshackled and wearing civilian clothes.

At the big banks and the boutique investment shops, an optimistic consensus has taken hold: the US stock market will rally in 2026 for a fourth straight year, marking the longest winning streak in nearly two decades. There’s plenty of angst about the risks to the bull run that’s pushed the S&P 500 Index up some 90% since its October 2022 low. The artificial-intelligence boom could turn to bust. The economy — and the Federal Reserve ’s interest-rate decisions — could defy expectations. And President Donald Trump ’s second year could bring even more unanticipated shocks than his first.

Already a subscriber? Sign in hereAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen. Palmerston North cans New Year’s event as 120km/h gales batter lower NI, rain warning for south

PETA says video footage captured on New Zealand farms exposes the cruelty involved in sheep shearing. Photo: Supplied / PETA AsiaAnimal rights advocates are calling for cameras in shearing sheds, saying "welfare training" for shearers is not enough to stop sheep being mistreated. "But if they really cared about animal welfare, they would have addressed these issues with shearing years ago." The SPCA would support camera surveillance in both shearing sheds and slaughter houses, Dale said. Government won't fund camerasHowever, both the government and the shearing industry have rejected video surveillance as "unnecessary and intrusive".

It's New Year's Eve tomorrow, and many Kiwis will be celebrating the New Year with parties and late nights. However, accidental overdoses and spiked drugs are the major issue with hospital visits for cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine use. Know Your Stuff General Manager Casey Spearin told Andrew Dickens that, "We work with the end user to say, 'will you take this?' and if so, let's try and keep you safer." LISTEN ABOVE

“It means a lot to me as I will be able to have my hard work recognised, as well as representing NZ. While So will be targeting success in Wellington, for now her triumph at the NZ amateur champs remains the biggest success of her career so far, where she etched her name alongside the likes of Ko. She quickly found a passion for the sport and hasn’t looked back since practising up to six times a week. “I always had the natural ability to hit the ball far, which helped me a lot, but just practising a lot helped as well. “I’ll be just practising golf,” So said.

The real test of this new and fragile alignment is whether it can survive the pressure of an election campaign. It reflects an understanding New Zealand cannot continue to rely solely on annual Crown budgets to fund infrastructure development. It could be a place where capital is collected from all three sources – public dividends, public capital from the sale or lease of public assets, and private capital – perhaps KiwiSaver or iwi. Asset recycling is not privatisation by stealth, nor is it some sort of fire sale of public assets. Polling suggests the New Zealand public is already open to this idea – and ahead of where politicians seem comfortable.

AFP reporters in Pingtan – a Chinese island that is the closest point to Taiwan’s main island – saw two fighter jets soaring across the sky and a Chinese military vessel in the distance. I certainly have seen it,” Trump told reporters Monday when asked about the exercises. Its defence ministry said it had detected 89 Chinese military aircraft near its shores on Monday – the highest number in a single day since October 2024. China’s military last held large-scale drills involving live firing around Taiwan in April - surprise manoeuvres condemned by Taipei. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered a backlash from Beijing last month when she said the use of force against Taiwan could warrant a military response from Tokyo.