https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/247887/eight_col_153250326_l.jpg?1604706124 A family with five people who caught Covid-19 has described their shock and fear as they dropped everything to rush into quarantine. Five members of the same family caught Covid-19 during the August outbreak in Auckland. Photo: 123rf.com All eight members of the tight-knit family – two grandparents, their daughter and five children – went to the Jet Park quarantine facility after four of the children and their 74-year-old grandfather caught the novel coronavirus at the height of the August outbreak. The man’s wife said the family was in shock when the first two children, aged 14 and 17, contracted it. “Once my grandchildren tested positive I was very frightened. I was scared … it would get worse,” she said. They had been a close contact of someone with Covid-19 and had initially tested negative. But the woman’s daughter said the family stayed vigilant and went to their GP ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/63775/eight_col_STUFFME_BCGW0587.jpg?1534979906 NZME is planning to sell its GrabOne business as part of a three-year strategy, which includes the possible rebranding of some of its publications. The Commerce Commission has declined a merger which would have created New Zealand’s biggest news media company Fairfax Media NZ, Stuff.co.nz, NZME, NZ Herald. Photo: RNZ / Brad White The media company confirmed it was on track to meet its underlying profit margin guidance for the financial year ending December of between $63 million and $66m, with an improved guidance over the next three years. NZME, which owns Newstalk ZB and The New Zealand Herald and other media brands, is going to focus broadening its audience reach. Among its goals is for digital-only subscriptions to exceed print subscriptions by 2023, with more than 210,000 total subscribers. NZ Herald Premium subscribers currently total more than 93,000 including 49,000 paid digital subscribers. It also ...

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2017-11/beehive-red-og_0.png The Government’s books were stronger than expected as the economy continues to recover post COVID lockdown, the Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Crown Accounts for the three months to the end of September show a lower than forecast deficit due to a better than expected tax take. “Tax revenue was $2.1 billion above the PREFU 2020 forecast. $1.2 billion of that total came from GST showing consumers were spending, reflecting their confidence in the economy. “The Treasury also reports source deduction revenue was better than forecast as salary and wage income for the period was better-than-expected, helped by the extension of the Government’s Wage Subsidy Scheme. “Core Crown expenses were $1.1 billion below forecast, and the operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) was $3.3 billion less than forecast,” Grant Robertson said. “Net core crown debt was 30.5% of GDP, also better than the PREFU forecast of 31.7% ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Georgia-2.jpg Source:Sundayobserver You may be known by the entire world overnight for whatever your artifice is, in which you show your originality. For that, your size, age, gender, nationality and many other tags to which you belong, would not always be compelling. Because sometimes, it all depends on how smart your art is like that of Georgia’s in enchanting her loved ones by playing magic with their taste buds. On November 9, Minikin Georgia was crowned as the winner of Junior MasterChef Australia 2020 for making a luscious two-course meal for four people with 90 minutes for each course including a main and a dessert. The judges were taken aback by Georgia’s mastery of cuisine and her delicate use of flavours and textures. She was prized $25 000 at the Monday’s grand finale. Junior MasterChef Australia is known to be an Australian competitive cooking game show. In 2020, the JMC ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/248626/eight_col_043_SW_SCANPIXB028492.jpg?1605457538 Cabinet will today consider whether to make masks mandatory on all domestic flights, and all public transport in Auckland. The move would be a step up from the existing alert level criteria, which sees mask-wearing mandatory on planes and public transport at level 2 and above. Photo: AFP If it is agreed, it would mark a step up from the existing alert level criteria, which sees mask-wearing mandatory on planes and public transport at level 2 and above. After a mystery Covid-19 case popped up in Auckland last week, its residents were asked to wear masks on public transport. But yesterday in Britomart, some bus users said up to 50 percent of their fellow passengers were without masks. Commuter Simon Adams said he supported a law change, to prompt bigger uptake. “If more people are wearing masks, I guess it’d probably make me feel a bit more comfortable,” he said. Auckland ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/105394/eight_col_200710_MANAGED-ISOLATED-FACILITY-3.jpg?1594349096 With 100,000 workers staying out of Auckland city today, businesses will be taking a major hit without extra financial support, says a business association. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook It is a challenging time for businesses, says chief executive of business association Heart of the City, Viv Beck. With international spending already down, workers staying home today will have a big impact on them. Despite having not gone up an alert level this morning, businesses will still need support, she said. “On the one hand it’s not an alert level but it’s still a massive impact… to be a position like today where it’s not an alert level so you can open and trade but if you haven’t got 100,000 workers and you’re reliant on those businesses, that’s a huge impact on you. “Some businesses are really in the eye of this and it’s been over an extended period.” ...

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2017-11/beehive-red-og_0.png Education Minister Chris Hipkins has recognised the extraordinary challenges students have faced this year, ahead of NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship exams which begin on Monday. “I want to congratulate students for their hard work during a year of unprecedented disruption, and I wish students all the best as they begin exams,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “The wellbeing of students is one of the top priorities for the Government. I encourage students to stick to a study plan, remember to build in breaks for exercise and relaxation, and talk to someone if the pressure is getting too much. “This is an important time of year, and whānau have vital roles to play in supporting and encouraging students to do their best. “Students will have a fair opportunity to achieve NCEA and continue on to further study or work, despite the impact of COVID-19 this year.  “Earlier this year ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Breathtaking-vistas-of-Ella-Gap-from-Little-Adams-Peak.jpg   Overlooking a breathtaking gap in the Central Highlands… A scenic drop of 915 meters to the southern plains and the sea… A cleft in green hills popular among locals and foreigners for its amazing views… Misty weather and intense clouds enhance the gorgeous landscape hiding the view from the other end of the Central Highlands… Breathtaking Ella Gap popular as a “piece of heaven on Earth” is a space between the mountains situated in Ella, the beautiful hamlet of *Uva Province. With panoramic views of the Central Highlands, this breathtaking gap in the southern mountain wall renders a telescopic view of the Great Plains as far as the eye can see. According to foreign tourists, the heaven is conjured by the mesmerizing vistas of the marvelous panorama of Ella Gap. Considered as the best sweeping views of Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands, Ella Gap is a breathtaking endless valley ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/248618/eight_col_jacinda1a.jpg?1605418358 A lobby group concerned about a major trade deal New Zealand signed this evening says the Covid-19 pandemic provides a strong reason why such agreements should be ditched. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Trade Minister Damien O’Connor at the signing ceremony in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Fifteen countries in the Asia-Pacific region have signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal. It’s the world’s largest free trade agreement, has been eight years in the making and came into fruition today via a virtual summit hosted in Hanoi, Vietnam. The agreement encompasses Japan, China, South Korea, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia and New Zealand, creating a free trade zone, which covers nearly a third of the world’s trade and economic output. Most signatories were at a conference in Vietnam. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Leaders from all 15 countries watched via ...