Formal U.S. withdrawal from WHO is decried as ‘scientifically reckless’
The United States formally withdrew from the World Health Organization on Thursday, one year after President Donald Trump announced plans to pull out of the preeminent global health alliance. “Withdrawing from the World Health Organization is scientifically reckless,” Ronald G. Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement. Public health experts have questioned how the U.S. can continue to be a global public health leader. As part of sweeping HHS staffing cuts last year, the CDC’s Global Health Center lost its director and some other employees. They’ve slashed global health funding around the world.”It’s unclear how the formal withdrawal will affect some key meetings where U.S. officials have historically played a major role.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 15:19 UTC
Formal US withdrawal from WHO is decried as ‘scientifically reckless’
Public health experts have questioned how the US can continue to be a global public health leader. As part of sweeping HHS staffing cuts last year, the CDC’s Global Health Centre lost its director and some other employees. “It’s almost laughable that the Trump administration thinks they can lead in global health,” said Lawrence Gostin, a law professor at Georgetown University and director of a WHO Collaborating Centre for National and Global Health Law. “They’ve decimated the global health capacities of the CDC. They’ve slashed global health funding around the world.”It’s unclear how the formal withdrawal will affect some key meetings where US officials have historically played a major role.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 13:36 UTC
Auckland beaches unsafe to swim after wastewater overflow, council warns
Morning Headlines | Rescue efforts continue following landslides, politicians descend on Rātana and Trump and Zelensky have a 'good' talk. | Friday, January 23, 2026Beaches on Auckland’s North Shore and in central parts of the city are not safe to swim in because of wastewater and more beaches could be impacted over the long weekend. The Auckland Council’s Safeswim tool has advised locals to not swim at least 15 beaches after wastewater overflow was detected. Colour-coded flags on the tool show black “do not swim” flags concentrated around the North Shore and Central Auckland, while red flags advising against swimming are scattered throughout. This comes a week after most Auckland and outer gulf beaches were deemed unsafe for swimming due to heavy rain triggering wastewater overflow throughout the region.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 08:33 UTC
Early warning signs: Missed chances to clear Mt Maunganui campground revealed
Photo / Cameron AveryBut the council made no call to evacuate either the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park or the neighbouring Mount Hot Pools. Mounds of debris at the Mount Maunganui campground as the search continues. Police, fire and emergency services at Mount Maunganui campground. At least six people are unaccounted for after a massive landslide destroyed parts of the iconic Mount Maunganui campground. Photo / Jason Dorday“The susceptibility of the residual volcanic soils to instability is a widespread problem on Mount Maunganui,” it said.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 08:28 UTC
Watch: Local iwi speak with father of two children lost in Mount Maunganui slip
I can only imagine what he and his wife and other families there are going through at the moment. Tracy Ngatoko at Mount Maunganui. An intense burst of rain swept through Mount Maunganui at 6pm, drenching roadworkers manning the cordon at The Mall. Photo / Michael CraigHowever, barely 15 minutes after the rain hit, blue skies could be seen appearing again above the Mount Maunganui volcano. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 08:10 UTC
One found dead, another critical in Clutha 'incident'
One person has been found dead, and another is in critical condition, after a serious incident near Milton this evening, police say. Detective Sergeant Hayden Smale said police were called to an address on Adams Flat Rd, Crichton at about 6.10pm. Email reporters@odt.co.nzA scene guard is in place at the address while a scene examination is carried out. Enquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing. Det Sgt Smale said updates would be provided when they were available.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 07:42 UTC
Pedestrian hit by car in central Christchurch
A person is in a serious condition after being struck by a car in central Christchurch this evening. Police said they responded to the crash at about 6.50pm on Riccarton Ave. The road is closed to eastbound traffic while emergency services are at the scene. The Serious Crash Unit has been advised. Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible and expect delays.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 07:42 UTC
Search resumes for man swept away by river
Search efforts have concentrated on the Mahurangi River after the man was swept away. Photo: RNZThe search for a man swept away by a swollen river north of Auckland on Wednesday is resuming today. The 47-year-old man was in a vehicle and trying to cross a ford on the Mahurangi River at Warkworth when the incident occurred. Police Search and Rescue are carrying out ground-based searching around the banks of the river. They are being supported by 17 Land Search and Rescue members as well as a water rescue crew from Fire and Emergency NZ.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 05:48 UTC
Trump sues JPMorgan Chase, claiming he was ‘debanked’ for political reasons
JPMorgan said it would fight the litigation, adding it does “not close accounts for political or religious reasons”, according to a statement. “While we regret President Trump has sued us, we believe the suit has no merit,” the bank added. Banking industry officials reject charges that they debank people over political viewpoints but have echoed JPMorgan’s statement in calling for reform. Upon retaking the White House in January 2025, Trump granted pardons to more than 1500 people who stormed the Capitol. “President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he wilfully broke the very laws that he took an oath to uphold.”-Agence France-Presse
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 04:39 UTC
School holiday sleep reset: Expert tips to fix kids’ bedtime routine
“That can make it hard to get good sleep as well, so that’s just a perfect storm.”Dr Michael Hlavac, respiratory and sleep physician and clinical director of Christchurch Hospital’s Integrated Respiratory Service, says sleep can be “erratic” during the holidays. “We’re also, quite often, more active, so that physical activity is really good for sleep. Photo / 123RFWhy good sleep habits are importantMaintaining good sleep over holidays and long weekends can help us get back into a good routine for work and school - and it’s not too late to start. “Having a good mindset towards sleep, or the way we think about sleep, can actually be really helpful,” O’Keeffe says. So, it’s just about being a bit mindful of those things as well.”Hlavac says practising good sleep hygiene - that is, “habits and routines around sleep” - will help.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 04:33 UTC
The Daily Blog Open Mic – 23rd January 2025
Announce protest actions, general chit chat or give your opinion on issues we haven’t covered for the day. All in all, TDB gives punters a very, very, very wide space to comment in but we won’t bother with out right lies or gleeful malice. We leave that to the Herald comment section. EDITORS NOTE: – By the way, here’s a list of shit that will get your comment dumped. Sexist abuse, homophobic abuse, racist abuse, anti-muslim abuse, transphobic abuse, Chemtrails, 9/11 truthers, Qanon lunacy, climate deniers, anti-fluoride fanatics, anti-vaxxer lunatics, 5G conspiracy theories, the virus is a bioweapon, some weird Bullshit about the UN taking over the world and ANYONE that links to fucking infowar.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 04:27 UTC
Warnings of ‘significant hazard’ after public lowers man into Wellington storm drain to save phone
Wellington City Council said this was incorrect and that their staff and contractors responded to requests within two hours, regardless of weekends and public holidays. He invited the man to his apartment nearby to clean off and sent him home with a fresh crayfish. In 2012, a drunk man died after falling head-first into a storm drain in central Wellington in a failed attempt to retrieve his car keys. Peter Black, 43, drowned in the drain and his body lay there for a full day before members of the public found him. While entering a storm drain isn’t illegal, the council strongly advised people to call its contact centre in an emergency.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 04:22 UTC
Ceiling collapses, house hit by lightning in Canterbury
Photo: RNZFirefighters in Canterbury are responding to a house believed to have been struck by lightning, and another where the ceiling has caved in as a bout of severe weather crosses the mainland. It comes after MetService issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Canterbury regions of Hurunui, Waimakariri and Christchurch City. Fire and Emergency said shortly after 2pm, it received eight weather related callouts in half an hour across Kaiapoi and Rangiora. A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said it was notified on an incident on Kingsbury Avenue, Rangiora, around 3.30pm, with one person taken to Christchurch Hospital in a moderate condition. ... More to come
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 04:03 UTC
Three generations of ‘lovely’ family lived in Pāpāmoa home where grandmother and grandson killed by slip
The Herald has also spoken to a neighbour of the family who described them as “amazing people”. “It’s just unfair, when it happens to a very lovely family, lovely people. Photo / Michael CraigThe neighbour said a New Zealand man had lived in the area for a long time. Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said it could take days for families to get answers about the Mount Maunganui campground slip, given the complexities at the scene. Anxious family members of those missing have gathered at the campground awaiting news of their loved ones as recovery efforts continue.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 03:50 UTC
Family told Mount Maunganui landslide search is now 'pretty much just recovery'
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Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 03:45 UTC