Category: World News

Posted on

NZ Defence Force planes prepare to fly to Middle East for evacuations

Source: Radio New Zealand

A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital of Tehran on 5 March, 2026. AFP / ATTA KENARE

Follow the latest with our live blog above

Foreign Minister Winston Peters says when conditions allow, NZDF planes will help New Zealanders get to locations where they can get on commercial flights home.

He says they will not be long flights.

The minister says at the speed at which potentially thousands of people need to be moved, it’s better they are taken to a safer place as fast as possible.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said 3171 New Zealanders were registered with its service SafeTravel in the region.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

NZ Defence Force planes on standby for Middle East evacuations

Source: Radio New Zealand

Two NZDF planes are on standby to head to the Middle East for evacuation operations. NZDF/Jalesa Normani

The government is getting ready to send consular staff and two NZ Defence Force (NZDF) planes to the Middle East in preparation for evacuation operations.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealanders in the Middle East should continue to shelter in place, or take safe and practical opportunities to leave.

He says it’s unclear when and how any civilian evacuation operation might be possible, but wants to be ready if and when conditions on the ground make them possible.

  • Are you in an affected area? Email us iwitness@rnz.co.nz

Peters says when conditions allow, NZDF planes will help New Zealanders get to locations where they can get on commercial flights home. He says they will not be long flights.

The minister says at the speed at which potentially thousands of people need to be moved, it’s better they are taken to a safer place as fast as possible.

Defence Minister Judith Collins says exactly where the consular response team and two NZDF C-130J aircraft will be deployed is still to be decided.

There are 3000 New Zealanders registered with MFAT as living in the Middle East.

Emirates flight to Auckland going ahead

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says an Emirates airline flight from Dubai to Auckland is scheduled to go ahead today.

The government is seeking urgent updates from airlines to confirm the resumption of flights from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to New Zealand.

More than 20,000 flights globally have been cancelled because of conflict in the Middle East.

MFAT advises passengers booked on the Emirates flight to contact the airline or their travel agent.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters RNZ/Calvin Samuel

It is offering to help travellers who are having problems with travel documents.

Meanwhile, aviation commentator and chief executive of Auckland’s Ardmore Flying School Irene King told Morning Report, it was likely there would be disruptions to flights to Europe, Africa and the Middle East for some time.

“Dubai is such a massive global hub… it’s not going to be easy because you’re going to have so much disruption.”

King said there would now be quite a lot of nervousness about flying over the Middle East which could mean a higher demand for Europe flights which went past Singapore or Hong Kong.

She said those flights were likely to be pretty full.

“It’s going to be challenging to get into Europe for quite a period of time.

“I think we’ll start to see other carriers [from Asia] potentially putting more volume down into Australasia because they will be acutely aware of people wanting to travel to Europe and not over the Middle East.”

King said it was likely there would be a lot more screening going on at airports in the Middle East.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Live: NZ Defence Force planes prepare to fly to Middle East for evacuations

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the latest with our live blog above

Foreign Minister Winston Peters says when conditions allow, NZDF planes will help New Zealanders get to locations where they can get on commercial flights home.

He says they will not be long flights.

The minister says at the speed at which potentially thousands of people need to be moved, it’s better they are taken to a safer place as fast as possible.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Iran ‘close’ to choosing new leader, Israel warns Southern Lebanon to leave

Source: Radio New Zealand

A man makes his way through debris at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the offices of Al-Qard al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-linked financial institution, in the southern coastal Lebanese city of Tyre on March 2, 2026. KAWNAT HAJU/AFP

Follow the latest with our live blog above

The Israel Defense Forces have begun “broad scale strikes targeting Iranian terror regime targets in Tehran,” it said in a statement.

This marks the 10th such wave of attacks since the latest conflict began on Saturday, according to the IDF. Earlier Wednesday, it said its overnight strikes had targeted what it described as command centers used by Iran’s feared internal security forces and the Basij militia.

“They hit quite hard last night, it was a bad night,” one resident in northern Tehran told CNN. “I don’t know where exactly they hit, but it felt like we could hear explosions from around us.”

They added that they wanted to get out of the city and flee into the mountains. “But we also don’t know where military assets are so its hard to tell where it is going to be safe,” the resident said.

Israel said its air force had launched a new “large scale” wave of strikes “targeting the Iranian terror regime’s infrastructure in Tehran”, following the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran, including in Tel Aviv and in several sites in central Israel.

Iran, in turn, appealed to the UN Security Council to step in, while warning of more intense attacks on US forces and Israel as the war raged for the fourth day.

Iranian drones struck the US embassy in Saudi Arabia after previously hitting the mission in Kuwait.

In Lebanon, air strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah holds sway, while Hezbollah said it had targeted a military facility in Israel in response.

Israel ordered its forces to take control of more positions inside Lebanon to create a buffer zone, and the Lebanese army pulled back some of its forces.

Explosions were also heard in the Bahraini and Qatari capitals of Manama and Doha.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said a key Iranian nuclear site, Natanz, was damaged, but “no radiological consequence” was expected.

The UN refugee agency said the escalation of hostilities has displaced at least 30,000 people in Lebanon, and the Iranian Red Crescent said more than 780 people have been killed nationwide.

Follow the latest with our live blog at the top of this page.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Government ‘talking to everybody’ over Kiwis caught up in Middle East war – Peters

Source: Radio New Zealand

Foriegn Affairs Minister Winston Peters RNZ / Mark Papalii

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says there are thousands of New Zealanders whose plans have been disrupted by the current war between the US and Israel and Iran.

All sorts of contingencies to help them were being looked at but it was a complex situation, he told Morning Report.

SafeTravel said on Wednesday United Arab Emirates had partially reopened its air space.

There were limited flights operating from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Follow updates with RNZ’s blog

It said there had so far been no official announcement on flights to Australia or New Zealand, but the NZ government were in contact with airline representatives to get urgent confirmation on the status of flights.

Spain and the United Kingdom have announced they are organising evacuation flights for their citizens while Australia has opened an emergency portal for its citizens.

Asked on Morning Report about possible evacuation flights for Kiwis Peters said the situation was “difficult”.

“We’re saying to people if you can get out, and if you are concerned, get out. If you can’t, then try and stay safe or stay inside where you are or make sure you have places that are safe most of the time.”

There were thousands of Kiwis in the region with not a great number registered on SafeTravel, he said.

Last time there was conflict in the Middle East a plane was sent, and within an hour of it landing “peace broke out” and noone got on the flight, Peters said.

“We’ve got all sorts of contingencies ready now – all aspects have been looked at. Obviously I’ve got to be confidential but Foreign Affairs is doing a superb job to do the maximum they can to help New Zealanders there.”

Peters said New Zealand was “talking to everybody” regarding Kiwis stranded by the conflict.

Regarding the negotiations that had been going on in Switzerland just before the weekend attacks, Peters said they had been “protracted” and that was why countries such as New Zealand could see the possibility of conflict and advised citizens to leave.

“We were saying that a long time before this war broke out.”

Not concerned about upsetting US

In an earlier statement, the government said New Zealand had consistently condemned Iran’s nuclear programme and its “destabilising activities” in the region and “acknowledged” the strikes.

Peters said he wasn’t worried about blowback from the United States if New Zealand expressed any criticism over the joint attacks with Israel on Iran.

Critics were commenting as if the current war was from a 1980s or 1990s setting.

“Everything’s changed dramatically. …It’s the most uncertain world since the Second World War.”

Legal experts would decide but in some situations such as the US-Israel attacks it became “a reprisal or retaliation” and the genesis to the current conflict was the earlier actions of Iran.

People had to understand countries were dealing with a group of “religious fanatics” in Iran. Their Arabic neighbours didn’t support Iran because it had been supporting various forms of terrorism for decades.

Critics had “rushed to judgement” over the legality of the US-Israel attacks, however, they had no answers to the way Iran was acting.

While critics referred to rules-based order, Iran had not been observing this and it had been exporting “continual chaos overseas”.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Live: Israel’s army ordered to seize territory in Lebanon, Trump vows to ‘cut off all trade’ with Spain over Iran

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the latest with our live blog above

Fresh strikes have hit half a dozen countries across the Middle East in the widening conflict surrounding Iran.

The latest blasts were reported in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as Israel urged countries to cut ties with Iran.

Israel said its air force had launched a new “large scale” wave of strikes “targeting the Iranian terror regime’s infrastructure in Tehran”, following the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran, including in Tel Aviv and in several sites in central Israel.

Iran, in turn, appealed to the UN Security Council to step in, while warning of more intense attacks on US forces and Israel as the war raged for the fourth day.

Iranian drones struck the US embassy in Saudi Arabia after previously hitting the mission in Kuwait.

In Lebanon, air strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah holds sway, while Hezbollah said it had targeted a military facility in Israel in response.

Israel ordered its forces to take control of more positions inside Lebanon to create a buffer zone, and the Lebanese army pulled back some of its forces.

Explosions were also heard in the Bahraini and Qatari capitals of Manama and Doha.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said a key Iranian nuclear site, Natanz, was damaged, but “no radiological consequence” was expected.

The UN refugee agency said the escalation of hostilities has displaced at least 30,000 people in Lebanon, and the Iranian Red Crescent said more than 780 people have been killed nationwide.

Follow the latest with our live blog at the top of this page.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

The 5am myth: Waking early won’t make you more successful

Source: Radio New Zealand

At 5am, social media fills with proof that the early risers have already won the day. Cold plunges. Journals. Sunrise runs. Productivity gurus insist this is the routine that separates high performers from everyone else, reinforced by high-profile early risers such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, entrepreneur Richard Branson and Hollywood actor Jennifer Aniston.

The message is simple: wake earlier, perform better. But the science tells a more complicated story. For many people, a 5am routine clashes with their biology and can undermine both health and productivity. Much depends on your individual biological rhythm, or “chronotype”.

Chronotypes reflect when people naturally feel alert or sleepy, and genetics play a major role in shaping them. Research shows that sleep timing is partly rooted in our genes, and chronotype is heritable. Chronotype also shifts across the lifespan, with adolescents tending toward later sleep pattern and older adults often shifting earlier. Most people are not extreme larks or owls, but fall somewhere in between.

Jennifer Aniston loves an early start to the day.

SHAUN CURRY/AFP

Do women really need more sleep than men?

Morning types, often called larks, wake early and feel alert soon after. They tend to rise early even at weekends without needing an alarm. Evening types, or owls, feel more energetic later in the day and may perform best at night. Many people fall somewhere in between as intermediate types.

Chronotypes in daily life

Studies often find differences between chronotypes. Morning types tend to report better academic outcomes, including better school and university performance. They are also less likely to report substance use, including lower rates of smoking, alcohol and drug use, and they are more likely to exercise regularly.

Evening types, on average, show higher rates of burnout and are more likely to report poorer mental and physical health. One explanation is chronic misalignment. Evening types are more likely to live out of sync with work and school schedules, leading to repeated sleep restriction, fatigue and accumulated stress.

Evening types, or owls, feel more energetic later in the day and may perform best at night.

123rf

Chronotype also appears to relate to broader behavioural tendencies, including differences in political attitudes, conscientiousness, procrastination and adherence to schedules. These patterns reinforce how chronotype shapes daily behaviour, not just sleep.

A common belief is that adopting an early routine will deliver the same benefits seen in natural morning types. However, chronotypes are not easily changed. They are shaped by genetics and circadian biology. For many evening or intermediate types, waking earlier than their natural rhythm can lead to sleep debt, reduced concentration and poorer mood over time.

This is the key point: early rising itself does not create success. People tend to perform best when their daily schedules align with their biological rhythms. Morning-oriented people often thrive in systems structured around early starts, while evening types may struggle not because they are less capable, but because their peak alertness occurs later.

Early-rising experiments can feel effective at first. The initial boost often reflects motivation and attention rather than lasting biological change, similar to what happens after life changes such as starting a new job. As routines stabilise, the mismatch between biology and schedule can become harder to sustain.

Biological clocks versus social clocks

The gap between a person’s natural rhythm and their social schedule is known as social jetlag. It reflects how far daily life pushes people away from their biological clock.

Social jetlag has been associated with poorer academic performance and wellbeing. Living out of sync with natural sleep patterns has also been linked to higher rates of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Forcing early rising may increase this mismatch for some people, particularly evening types.

Some studies suggest that morning types have an advantage in their careers. These findings are often interpreted as evidence that morning routines drive achievement. A more likely explanation is structural. Modern societies are organised around early schedules. When biological rhythms align with work and school timing, performance is easier to sustain. This creates an environment where morning types appear to have an advantage.

Rather than forcing early routines, the more useful question is how to identify your own rhythm and work with it. Chronotype is only one factor shaping performance, alongside environment, opportunity and personal circumstances, but understanding it can help people make more realistic decisions about daily routines.

Owl or lark?

Understanding your chronotype starts with observing your natural sleep patterns.

Keep a sleep log noting bedtimes and wake times across workdays, weekends and holidays. Free days often reveal your natural rhythm. Track mood and energy levels to see when you feel most alert.

Notice how long it takes to fall asleep. Less than 30 minutes suggests your bedtime suits you. More than an hour may indicate a later chronotype.

Observe how you respond to daylight saving time changes in spring. If early mornings still feel natural after the shift, you may lean toward a morning type.

Changing chronotype is difficult, but small adjustments may help. Instead of waking earlier straight away, try going to bed slightly earlier, including at weekends. If sleep comes easily, you may gradually shift toward an earlier rhythm.

Morning daylight exposure and limiting screens in the evening can also support earlier sleep timing. Even so, biology sets limits. The real productivity advantage lies not in waking earlier, but in designing routines that match how the brain and body actually function.

Christoph Randler is a Professor, Department of Biology, University of Tübingen.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Live: Israel launches fresh attacks on Iran and Beirut, Iran continues strikes across Gulf

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the latest with our live blog above

Fresh strikes have hit half a dozen countries across the Middle East in the widening conflict surrounding Iran.

The latest blasts were reported in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as Israel urged countries to cut ties with Iran.

Israel said its air force had launched a new “large scale” wave of strikes “targeting the Iranian terror regime’s infrastructure in Tehran”, following the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran, including in Tel Aviv and in several sites in central Israel.

Iran, in turn, appealed to the UN Security Council to step in, while warning of more intense attacks on US forces and Israel as the war raged for the fourth day.

Iranian drones struck the US embassy in Saudi Arabia after previously hitting the mission in Kuwait.

In Lebanon, air strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah holds sway, while Hezbollah said it had targeted a military facility in Israel in response.

Israel ordered its forces to take control of more positions inside Lebanon to create a buffer zone, and the Lebanese army pulled back some of its forces.

Explosions were also heard in the Bahraini and Qatari capitals of Manama and Doha.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said a key Iranian nuclear site, Natanz, was damaged, but “no radiological consequence” was expected.

The UN refugee agency said the escalation of hostilities has displaced at least 30,000 people in Lebanon, and the Iranian Red Crescent said more than 780 people have been killed nationwide.

Follow the latest with our live blog at the top of this page.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Live: Israel launches fresh strikes on Iran and Beirut

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the latest with our live blog above

Fresh strikes have hit half a dozen countries across the Middle East in the widening conflict surrounding Iran.

The latest blasts were reported in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as Israel urged countries to cut ties with Iran.

Israel said its air force had launched a new “large scale” wave of strikes “targeting the Iranian terror regime’s infrastructure in Tehran”, following the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran, including in Tel Aviv and in several sites in central Israel.

Iran, in turn, appealed to the UN Security Council to step in, while warning of more intense attacks on US forces and Israel as the war raged for the fourth day.

In Lebanon, air strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah holds sway, while Hezbollah said it had targeted a military facility in Israel in response.

Israel ordered its forces to take control of more positions inside Lebanon to create a buffer zone, and the Lebanese army pulled back some of its forces.

Explosions were also heard in the Bahraini and Qatari capitals of Manama and Doha.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said a key Iranian nuclear site, Natanz, was damaged, but “no radiological consequence” was expected.

The UN refugee agency said the escalation of hostilities has displaced at least 30,000 people in Lebanon, and the Iranian Red Crescent said more than 780 people have been killed nationwide.

Follow the latest with our live blog at the top of this page.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Posted on

Australia’s Middle East military HQ hit in Iranian drone attack, Qatar halts LNG production

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the latest with our live blog above

US President Donald Trump is warning ‘a big wave’ of strikes against Iran is yet to come.

Speaking to CNN, Trump said the US hasn’t even begun to hit the Iranian regime hard.

Missile strikes continued to fly over the Middle East overnight, with multiple countries threatening escalation of the ongoing conflict.

Top members of the Trump administration have spoken publicly about ‘Operation Epic Fury’ for the first time at a Pentagon press conference. The US said the goal of the war was not regime change, despite the deaths of top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States was not ruling out any options in the war, but promised, “This is not Iraq … This is not endless”.

Meanwhile, Iran said it was ready for a “long war” and has targeted US military bases in other Gulf states.

Kuwait said it accidentally shot down “several” US military aircraft in friendly fire.

Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade blows, prompting the Lebanese government to ban Hezbollah’s military and security activities and call on the group to hand over its weapons to the state.

Trump has said he envisages the conflict could last four weeks.

Follow the latest with our live log at the top of this page.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand