New Zealand

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New Zealand Euthanizes 48 Beached Whales

Conditions had left little hope for the creatures

(Newser) - Faced with a pod of 107 beached pilot whales, half of them dead, and no help in sight, New Zealand conservation authorities were forced to euthanize 48 of the creatures, reports the New Zealand Herald. The whales had beached themselves high up on the beach yesterday with the tide on...

New Zealand Battles to Save 80 Beached Whales

Tourists help keep animals cool

(Newser) - More than a hundred rescuers in New Zealand are struggling to save some 80 beached pilot whales. They beached themselves today on the country’s South Island, and while rescuers managed to turn four back to sea, 10, including one baby, have died, reports the New Zealand Herald . With tides...

Seal Pups Clubbed to Death in Sanctuary

Some 24 animals killed over several days in popular New Zealand spot

(Newser) - Several fur seals, including newborn pups, were clubbed to death in a popular New Zealand sanctuary over several days, officials said today. Killers using clubs or bats slaughtered some two dozen animals in an isolated area of the Ohau Point colony seal breeding ground, reports AP ; many more animals are...

Wanna-Be Film Extra Told She's Too Dark to Be Hobbit

Race row hits New Zealand production

(Newser) - A woman who wanted to be an extra in The Hobbit was told by the casting crew on the New Zealand production that while she was short enough to play a hobbit, she wasn't white enough. "The casting manager basically said they weren't having anybody who wasn't pale-skinned,"...

Teens Rescued at Sea Were Chasing a Girl

They somehow survived for 50 days

(Newser) - It was a great story before, but now it's just epic: The three Pacific Island teenagers who were rescued after being lost at sea for 50 days had been on the trail of a cute girl. It seems she had caught their eye while visiting their island for a sports...

Third Explosion Shakes New Zealand Mine

Prime minister plans memorial service for 29 lost miners

(Newser) - A third explosion has rattled the New Zealand coal mine where 29 workers were lost this week, the Wall Street Journal reports. The latest blast was the smallest and “isn't likely to impede any work out there,” police said. Prime minister John Key today announced a Dec. 2...

After 50 Days Lost at Sea, 3 Teens Rescued

Boys reportedly survived by eating a seagull

(Newser) - Three teens who have been missing in the South Pacific for 50 days—and were already eulogized in a memorial service—have been found alive by a New Zealand fishing boat. The boys, two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old, disappeared while attempting to row between two islands in the New Zealand...

New Zealand Mourns 29 Lost Miners

But mine should reopen, civic leaders say

(Newser) - As New Zealand mourns the 29 miners lost in Tuesday’s second explosion , civic leaders are already calling for the mine to be reopened. "A big part of our economy on the west coast is coal and, yes, we want our men back down the mine working,” says...

Second Blast Hits NZ Mine, All Miners Believed Dead

'We are now going into recovery mode'

(Newser) - A second huge blast has hit the New Zealand coal mine where 29 miners are missing and authorities say it would have been impossible for anybody to survive. "We are now going into recovery mode," a police superintendent said. High levels of toxic gases thwarted rescue attempts after...

Rescuers Begin Drilling to Reach NZ Miners

Small test hole will take up to a day to complete

(Newser) - Rescuers began drilling more than 48 hours after a methane explosion in a New Zealand mine trapped 29 workers. Officials said that gas levels in the mine were receding, but still fluctuating, causing uncertainty as to whether the tunnel is safe enough for a search and recovery operation. A rig...

High Gas Levels Thwart NZ Miner Rescue

But officials confident missing 29 still alive

(Newser) - Twenty-nine New Zealand miners remained stuck more than a mile underground today as high methane and carbon monoxide levels prevented rescuers from retrieving them. "Unfortunately it's just not as simple as putting on a mask and gown and rushing in there," says one official. "It does pose...

New Zealand Mine Explosion Leaves 32 Missing

 27 Missing After NZ Mine Blast 
UPDATED
Nov 19, 2010 10:48 AM CST

27 Missing After NZ Mine Blast

1 killed in explosion at South Island coal mine

(Newser) - One person is dead and at least 27 are unaccounted for after an underground explosion at a coal mine on New Zealand's South Island. An electrician sent to investigate a power outage discovered a loader driver who had been blown off his machine nearly a mile into the mine shaft,...

Man Jailed After Posting Nude Photo of Ex on Facebook

He gets 4 months for online revenge

(Newser) - New twist on an old tale: Boy meets girl, girl dumps boy, boy posts naked photo of girl on Facebook and goes to jail. A New Zealand judge sentenced 20-year-old Joshua Ashby to 4 months in prison for his "irresponsible drunken jealous rage," which included a texted threat...

New Zealand Will Keep The Hobbit

Government works out a deal with Warner Bros.

(Newser) - The protests full of people who wanted to keep The Hobbit in New Zealand apparently worked: The country’s government worked out a deal with Warner Bros. to ensure the Peter Jackson-directed endeavor will film there. A labor dispute threatened to kill filming two months ago, and Jackson threatened to...

Thousands Protest to Keep Hobbit in New Zealand

Rally timed to coincide with Warner Bros. visit

(Newser) - Thousands of protesters took to the streets across New Zealand today to protest Warner Bros.’ threats to move the filming of the Hobbit out of the country. Rallies were held in Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch among others, according to the BBC , with protesters holding signs like, “New Zealand...

Uproar Over Dikshit Comments Leads TV Host to Resign

You actually pronounce it 'Dixit'

(Newser) - Paul Henry, the host of a New Zealand morning talk show, has resigned following international outrage over his comments mocking the name of Delhi's Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Henry made fun of and mispronounced her name (the correct English pronunciation is "Dixit"), laughing at his vulgar-sounding mispronunciation, which...

Labor Row Could Kill Hobbit Films

Peter Jackson warns union 'power grab' threatens NZ productions

(Newser) - Producer Peter Jackson has warned that a labor dispute could force him to shut down production of his two-movie Hobbit project or shift filming from New Zealand to eastern Europe. The Screen Actors Guild and six other unions have urged actors not to work on the films, saying that the...

Principal: Possum Toss Contest 'Lets Kids Be Kids'
Principal: Possum Toss Contest 'Lets Kids Be Kids'
critics agog in new zealand
Sep 23, 2010 2:50 AM CDT

Principal: Possum Toss Contest 'Lets Kids Be Kids'

Animal activists furious after children hurl animal carcasses

(Newser) - Animal lovers are snarling after a New Zealand elementary school event featured children hurling possum carcasses. But the school principal insists the bizarre contest "lets kids be kids." Students in the rural Manawatu school lobbed the dead animals by their tails to see how far they could throw...

74 Whales Stranded in New Zealand

Volunteers battle to keep some alive overnight

(Newser) - A pod of 74 pilot whales is stranded in a remote section of northern New Zealand called Spirits Bay beach. Though 25 have already died, volunteers are struggling mightily to keep the survivors alive overnight so they might be re-floated tomorrow, notes the AP . In mid-August a pod of 58...

New Zealand Lawmaker Stole Dead Baby's Identity

David Garrett resigns from party in disgrace

(Newser) - New Zealand lawmaker David Garrett resigned from his party today, two days after revealing that he’d once used a dead baby’s identity to obtain a passport. Garrett pulled off the scam in 1984, after reading how in a thriller novel. He trolled a graveyard looking for someone with...

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