‘No immunity’An Israeli foreign ministry statement defended the demolitions and said “the State of Israel owns the Jerusalem compound”. “UNRWA-Hamas had already ceased its operations at this site and no longer had any UN personnel or UN activity there,” the foreign ministry said. Although the UNRWA ban applies in east Jerusalem because of its annexation by Israel, the agency still operates in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The Saudi foreign ministry also voiced its “strongest condemnation”. The UNRWA compound was a prison during the time of the Ottoman Empire, and later became property of the Jordanian Government, which subsequently transferred it to UNRWA.

January 20, 2026 22:07 UTC

Dunedin Central Police Station. Photo: ODT FilesA woman denied a ride to Balclutha by police ended up spending the night in the cells instead after allegedly attacking a nearby campervan. The 45-year-old showed up at the Dunedin Central Police Station at 12.30am this morning to ask for a lift back home in Balclutha, Sergeant Simon Reay, of Dunedin, said. Officers denied her request, and in response, the woman headed over to the nearby Woolworths carpark and began punching and kicking a campervan. She was held in police custody overnight and was charged with breaching bail, disorderly behaviour and resisting police.

January 20, 2026 21:39 UTC

Tamah Alley said Mr Jones, who also told the Otago Daily Times Central Otago was "pregnant with mining potential", had possibly misrepresented what the region was, and what it entailed. Mr Jones yesterday said he was "quite familiar with the Otago area" and would take up any invitation he received, subject to logistics. Mr Jones described Central Otago as "largely empty", while criticising a celebrity-backed fundraiser to oppose Santana Minerals’ Bendigo-Ophir gold project. Mrs Alley said Mr Jones had not acknowledged the "thriving industries" in Central Otago, which not only supported the local economy but GDP on a national scale. Cromwell Community Board chairwoman Anna Harrison said Central Otago was bustling, vibrant and full of growing communities who valued open spaces.

January 20, 2026 21:36 UTC

The advice comes amid high alert across the Tasman, following four shark attacks across New South Wales in less than 48 hours. New Zealand shark scientist and conservationist Dr Riley 'Shark Man' Elliott has run a long-standing, tag-and-trace programme across the country. Although shark attacks were not as common in New Zealand, compared to the warmer climes of Australia, other environmental factors heightened risk. The conservationist had spotted three Australian-tagged great white sharks during his Fiordland expedition. Elliott said shark attacks were tragic reminders that the ocean wasn't a playground.

January 20, 2026 21:24 UTC

France’s Emmanuel Macron warned against US attempts to “subordinate Europe”, and blasted as “unacceptable” Trump’s threats to impose tariffs of up to 25% on countries opposed to his Greenland plans. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 20. Photo / Elodie Le Maou, AFPTrump had earlier insisted Greenland was “imperative” for security. “So our response will be unflinching, united and proportional,” she said. EU leaders will hold an emergency summit on Greenland in Brussels on Thursday.

January 20, 2026 21:15 UTC





After knocking around in high school bands, he co-founded Midnight Oil, originally known as Farm, with his mate Jim Moginie in 1972. Hirst was known for his powerful drumming and activism, co-founding the band in 1972. Hirst and Moginie began as the band’s songwriting core, before Garrett later joined them in the creative engine room. We found this place, you know, almost 40 years ago.”Hirst was proud to have made music with all three daughters. Hirst was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in April 2023, just six months after Midnight Oil played their final gig at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion in October 2022.

January 20, 2026 21:15 UTC

Whole milk powder (WMP), the most influential product for Fonterra’s farmgate milk price, climbed 1% to US$3,449/MT, consolidating gains after a significant 7.2% rise at the previous event. Skim milk powder (SMP) strengthened further, up 2.2% to US$2,615/MT, following an already robust increase two weeks earlier. Butter rose 2.1% to US$5,314/MT, while anhydrous milk fat (AMF) increased 3.0% to US$6,191/MT, extending strong upward trends seen in the prior auction. Cheddar declined 1.4%, mozzarella recorded the largest fall at -2.3%, and lactose eased 1.8% after returning to the auction roster. Overall volumes traded totaled 27,821 metric tonnes, slightly lower than the previous event, with 114 winning bidders, unchanged from the prior auction.

January 20, 2026 21:08 UTC

Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, noted that banks and US tech “are at risk from EU tariffs” in response to Trump’s tariff blitz and warned this would hurt US blue chips. ‘Mistake’The move has raised questions about the outlook for last year’s US-EU trade deal, the ratification of which was frozen on Tuesday by the European Union parliament. “The European Union and the United States have agreed to a trade deal last July. US Treasury chief Scott Bessent on Monday said that any retaliatory EU tariffs would be “unwise”. That body was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza but its charter gives it a much broader, global remit, with Trump in charge.

January 20, 2026 20:13 UTC

However, the situation escalated when the suspect produced a knife and stabbed the employee, he said. Bunce said Newmarket Security arrived at the scene to restrain the 16-year-old and take the knife from him. The stabbing took place at a hobby store on Broadway, Newmarket, on Tuesday night. “We’re appalled at the unnecessary level of violence that was inflicted on this staff member last night,” Bunce said. “Police acknowledge the quick actions of Newmarket Security staff and members of the public who quickly swung into action as our staff were responding to the scene.

January 20, 2026 19:59 UTC

A Taieri man has hacked the supposed secret to growing sub-tropical kiwifruit in the South. Through hard graft, he has even managed to get Zespri International, the patent holders of the popular "SunGold Kiwifruit" to run a growing trial from his home. He has multiple kiwifruit plants fruiting at the moment, and it is all possible because of a microclimate that encompasses his property. East Taieri resident Harry Lagocki thins his SunGold kiwifruit, which have had spectacular success growing at his 2ha property. Photo: Stephen JaquieryAll significant kiwifruit growing stops at Nelson and the benefit of growing the fruit here was none of the diseases in the north were present in the soil, he said.

January 20, 2026 19:39 UTC

Acecco Holding is also a 51% shareholder of Beautylife Electronics NZ, which has so far not been affected by the company’s receivership or subsidiary liquidations. However, several of the entities in question are now in liquidation, and therefore any recoveries are unlikely. As for unsecured creditors, total claims have amounted to $8.65m. The receivers said it is unlikely that unsecured creditors will be repaid in part or in full. In total, Acecco Holdings has a current deficit of $7.45m.

January 20, 2026 19:31 UTC

Similarly, like any chief executives, those responsible for sporting institutions are expected to balance the books and run their corporate office in line with sound business management practice. Pragnell admits navigating controversial employment matters in the public eye is one of the more difficult aspects of the role. I think Kiwis really appreciate, they can handle mistakes, but just being frank about those things, about the situation, is really, really important.”All Whites captain Chris Wood. I think it’s the strategy for the organisation and what you’ve developed with staff, board and players – these are our goals. That’s how you judge success as an organisation, but naturally, you want to win.”Becker said success on the pitch is a big marker for the performance of an organisation.

January 20, 2026 18:47 UTC

Brooklyn Beckham accused Victoria Beckham of dancing "very inappropriately" at his wedding. Photo / Dimitrios Kambouris, AFPA guest at Brooklyn Beckham’s wedding to Nicola Peltz has backed up his claim that his mother Victoria Beckham danced “very inappropriately” with him at the reception party. In his post, he said: “She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.”Now, Stavros Agapiou has seemingly confirmed Brooklyn’s recollection of events. Stavros is the husband of DJ Fat Tony, who performed at the wedding reception.

January 20, 2026 18:32 UTC

Photo: ODT filesA gang-related pack attack behind bars has seen four men extend their stay in prison. Collins-Roberts attempted to punch the second victim, who then fell to the ground, and Pere kicked him while Collins-Roberts punched his head. Duncan then delivered two more blows to the first victim’s head before continuing the attack with Panapa. Judge Retzlaff sentenced Duncan to 10 and a-half months’ imprisonment on top of the sentence he was already serving, while Pere received nine and a-half months jail. Collins-Roberts would serve an extra nine months on his current sentence for the attack and Panapa had eight months tacked on to his jail term.

January 20, 2026 18:18 UTC

Photo: ODT FilesPromises to be more specific about wait times for surgeries have not been kept, an Otago man says. When approached yesterday, HNZ Southern said it was still working on a solution, which should be ready for outpatients early this year. "With issues such as letting the patient know about waiting times, they’re dragging the chain. New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) president Anne Daniels said the information needed to be distributed, but this would require resourcing. "These guidelines include sending letters to patients informing them of surgery wait times.

January 20, 2026 18:00 UTC