Donald Trump has shown little appetite for finding an off-ramp to the Iran war, even as concerns among Western allies rise and the conflict spreads further. Donald Trump’s far-reaching ambitions inevitably contrasted with later reassurances from others that it would be a limited and reasonably quick mission. Stephen Kiprillis This week, standing in the same Pentagon press briefing room, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made a similar declaration about the operation in Iran. When US President Donald Trump announced the joint US-Israeli strikes in a video message last weekend, he laid out many reasons for attacking the Islamic Republic. ‘Very little opposition’ US President Donald Trump walks past War Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House on Monday.

Lawson was, though, able to shave 1.255s off his time from FP1 to FP2, as a sign of improvement across the day. FP2 tends to be the most representative practice session for qualifying, given the similarities between time on track 24 hours later. The 11 teams will get one more session of practice (FP3), beginning at 2.30pm on Saturday (NZT), before qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix. Earlier, in FP1, Lawson was 2.346s off the pace in a mixed session for Racing Bulls and got through 28 laps. Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix begins at 6pm Saturday (NZT), with the race at 5pm on Sunday.

Former US Presidents Barack Obama (left) and Bill Clinton were among those attending a tribute to Jesse Jackson in Chicago. Photo / Getty ImagesFormer US Presidents Barack Obama (left) and Bill Clinton were among those attending a tribute to Jesse Jackson in Chicago. Photo / Getty ImagesFormer US President Barack Obama lashed out at President Donald Trump for conducting an “assault on our democratic institutions” as he paid tribute to the late civil rights activist Jesse Jackson on Friday. Obama joined former Presidents Joe Biden and Bill Clinton to mark the life of Jackson after his death at age 84. “It may be tempting to get discouraged, to give into cynicism... [but] this man, Reverend Jesse Lewis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path.”

These homes were built in Christchurch before being trucked down then craned on to steep sections overlooking Lake WhakatipuAmazing what comes off the back of a truck. Heralding a new type of construction for Queenstown, four adjacent, elevated homes on Angelo Dr — off Frankton Rd, via Middleton Rd — have been trucked down from Christchurch. They were then trucked to Queenstown and lifted on-site by one of the South Island’s largest cranes. The time saving also represents a cost saving, he adds — all four homes pre-sold for under $1.4 million as holiday homes or investments. Six more homes on neighbouring sections are being delivered the same way in coming months, while the developer’s also branching into smaller two-bedroom units.

Diederik (Didi) Van Heerden and his wife Elsje were made redundant from Longevity at the same time. Longevity had since paid van Heerden $770.12 for the wage arrears, giving an outstanding amount Longevity still owes of $206,638.47. Lengthy court battle ensuedIn a lengthy court battle, Longevity challenged the authority’s substantive determination in the Employment Court for both Van Heerden and Williams’ cases, while not disputing the costs award. Longevity did not pay the required sums into court, and neither Williams nor van Heerden had received payment. But Corin told NZME he would be appealing the decisions, saying the ERA had not taken all the evidence into account.

The attack happened when he was staying with his twin sister in Tauranga while waiting to move into a new rental in Rotorua. In August last year, Rotorua Lakes Council classified Tank as dangerous, a decision Cochran appealed before the council’s Dog Control Panel. Why council did not seek destruction orderTauranga City Council investigated the attack, animal services team leader Oscar Glossop confirmed. He was confident the dangerous dog classification would be sufficient to ensure the dog posed no threat to the public. Police in Kaihu investigating the fatal Northland dog attack last month.

A Fullers Ferry on the city-Hobsonville Point run rescued a woman found in the water near Auckland Harbour Bridge. A Fullers Ferry on the city-Hobsonville Point run rescued a woman found in the water near Auckland Harbour Bridge. Photo / Cole SlawsonPassengers on a commuter ferry found themselves part of a rescue last night as a woman was pulled from the water near Auckland Harbour Bridge by their crew. The 8.25pm Fullers service had been heading to Hobsonville from Auckland city when “our captain spotted a person in the water”, a passenger told the Herald. “The person was brought on board, and we turned around with a very quick ferry ride back to Auckland.

Some of Briana Stephenson’s hardest days as an athlete led her to make one of her boldest decisions — switching events from long jump to the heptathlon. No stranger to injury and knee surgery Stephenson ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament playing netball in her final year at Napier Girls’ High School. She was riding a high – making the New Zealand Secondary School netball team and selected for the Oceania athletics champs. Photo: Casey SimsReturning for her final year of high school she was determined to make the national secondary school netball team again and, on the track secure an athletics scholarship to a US college. “It’s a light weekend for me,” laughs Stephenson, the current national heptathlon champion.

Mark HarrisThe early foreign birds are circling the Southern Lakes to catch the rare golden worms. Wealthy Americans are among the ultra-rich buyers arriving in private jets and zeroing in on Queenstown’s priciest properties as new foreign house-buyer rules come into force. While, anecdotally, there is no shortage of high net-worth individuals looking to take advantage of the ‘‘golden visa’’, satisfying the demand may prove the challenge. Queenstown Lakes District Council records, as at September, showed 1273 dwellings, or about 5% of the district’s almost 24,000 properties, had a valuation for rating purposes at that level. But Bayleys Queenstown chief executive Stacy Coburn said there might be even fewer properties than that open to foreign purchase.

PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIENA Middlemarch family had to flee their home in the dead of night after flames ripped through their home this morning. In the latest incident, a Middlemarch family had to evacuate their home after a fire broke out at 1am today. The spokesman said six crews went to the scene, two from Middlemarch, two from Mosgiel and one from Naseby. Shortly before 4pm yesterday, three crews from the Browns, Winton and Hedgehope stations attended a barn fire in Browns, Southland. Firefighters managed to fully extinguish the blaze in one hour, and crews left the scene not too long after that.

The latest game created by Dunedin game studio Runaway Play overtook global giants such as Fortnite, Candy Crush and Among Us on just the first day of its launch. Preparing to celebrate with dragon-themed cupcakes yesterday morning while watching the statistics continue to rise , chief executive Zoe Hobson said the response to Hatch Dragons had been huge. Runaway Play chief executive Zoe Hobson (centre) celebrates the successful launch of Hatch Dragons with her team in Dunedin. Set in a mystical forest, Hatch Dragons was a collection-focused dragon game, which replaced battle and combat with nurturing and care, she said. Rather than immediately moving on to the next project, the plan was to look at what else could be added to Hatch Dragons.

PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONMembers of the New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation, along with supporters, wear purple in solidarity and stand beside Dunedin Hospital yesterday to mark International Women’s Day tomorrow and support those fighting for pay equity in New Zealand. In May last year, the government cancelled all active pay equity claims and changed the law, making follow-up claims more difficult.

PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONSt Kilda Beach was heaving yesterday as crowds swarmed to take a dip and escape the sweltering heat. A MetService meteorologist said Otago was the hottest region in the country, with different centres, including Dunedin and Alexandra, vying for the top spot. Temperatures reached 29°C, but nowhere in New Zealand managed to break into the thirties. ‘‘Luckily for Dunedin the weekend will cool down a little bit, with a high of 22°C for Saturday and reaching a maximum of 20°C for Sunday.’’The meteorologist said people should ‘‘enjoy the hot weather while you can’’ because come Monday, the high would be a cool 14°C.

My concern is about the consequence of this particular mine, specifically the tailings facility that will remain long after the mining stops. At current levels it would take well over a century of gold royalties to equal the cost of that single public project. One tailings facility. The proposed Bendigo tailings facility sits at the headwaters of a river system that flows through farms, vineyards and communities across Central Otago. My question to the minister would have been simple: why remove the one mechanism that helped communities scrutinise projects of this scale?

Human remains were found off SH3 between Te Awamutu and Ōtorohanga in the Waikato. Photo: Google MapsAn Ōtorohanga farmer was shocked when her and a group of weed controllers stumbled across a human skeleton in an area of privet bush near State Highway 3 this morning. Police are investigating the remains in an area around SH3 between Ōtorohanga and Te Awamutu. She said the trees are now about 30 metres tall, and that prompted her to start doing some weed control in the area. Police said they are in the very early stages of the investigation, and are unable to share any further information.