Warning: This report contains accounts of sexual assault and violence that some readers may find distressing. Ramia was preparing for a family picnic, on a warm summer day in her village in Latakia province in western Syria, when a white car drove up, she said
Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here in the national capital. Pichai is here for the Global AI Impact Summit 2026 and will deliver the keynote address on February 20 at the summit. New Delhi: Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra
The back-and-forth between the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association has taken another turn. On Tuesday afternoon, the WNBPA submitted a new counterproposal, only to have it shot down yet again by the league, as negotiations intensify ahead of the new season
The leadership has made it clear that performance and public perception will be key criteria in deciding nominations The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing for a major organisational overhaul in Assam ahead of the assembly elections
Political and strategic considerations will overshadow economic ones in the choices that countries make going forward, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday (February 17, 2026). Speaking at the Global Economic Cooperation 2026 summit organised by the Future Economic Cooperation
New Zealand election scheduled for November 7; cost of living, housing top issues
New Zealand election scheduled for November 7; cost of living, housing top issues
“New Zealand will hold a national election on November 7, 2026,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced on Wednesday (January 21, 2026).
Mr. Luxon, the leader of a centre-right government, will seek a second term in office, with the election likely to be a ballot on whether his pledges to improve the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic have gained enough traction to convince voters still struggling with living and housing costs.
The main centre-left Opposition Labour Party, led by Chris Hipkins [Christopher Hipkins], has regained support since its poor showing in the 2023 election and analysts forecast a tight race.
New Zealand elections are held every three years with the government selecting the exact date. Voters choose which party they prefer to see in government and also select a local candidate to represent their constituency in Parliament.
The country of five million has a unicameral Parliament, which means governments are powerful deciders of how the country operates. The National Party and Labour usually must form coalitions with smaller parties to hold a majority in Parliament, giving the minor parties an unusual sway in which the major party leads.
Announcing the election date at a retreat for his party's lawmakers in Christchurch, Mr. Luxon underlined what he said was his party's track record on working to rebuild a post-pandemic economy.
Days earlier in a speech to a business audience in Auckland on Monday (January 20, 2026), he acknowledged that reversing the country's fortunes had not been simple and that many New Zealanders have endured “two years of hard grind.”
The economy has contracted a further 0.5 percentage point in the most recently measured 12 months, and migration to neighboring, wealthier Australia has at times hit record highs during Mr. Luxon's tenure.
Mr. Luxon on Monday (January 19, 2026) blamed the former Labour-led government for the country's woes, saying he had “inherited a mess.”
Analysts said that with inflation trending down and business confidence beginning to grow, Mr. Luxon will hope the months until this year's election will be long enough to convince New Zealanders that the economic reversal he pledged in 2023 is taking root.
Mr. Hipkins, his main challenger to lead the country, on Monday (January 19, 2026) dismissed Mr. Luxon's remarks as “a whole lot of management-speak mumbo-jumbo.” The Opposition leader added that Mr. Luxon hadn't delivered on political promises he had made, including making housing more affordable in what has been one of the world's hottest markets and ensuring access to public health care for all.
Paying for the country's ailing infrastructure and how to fund pensions will also be central economic issues. Mr. Luxon decries Labour's approach as one reliant on accruing national debt, while Mr. Hipkins said Monday (January 19, 2026) that National Party had squandered money on unaffordable tax cuts.
An unusual quirk of the election is that the premiership will once again be contested by two men named Christopher, as it was in 2023.
Mr. Luxon, 55, is still a relative newcomer to politics, making a rapid ascent to National party leader in 2021 after entering Parliament as a constituency lawmaker at the 2020 election. The millionaire former business executive was the head of the national carrier Air New Zealand before turning to politics and previously worked as an executive for Unilever when he lived in the United States.
Mr. Luxon pledged to bring managerial experience, but his detractors highlight his political inexperience and say his wealth means he is out of touch with ordinary New Zealanders.
Mr. Hipkins, the Opposition leader, entered Parliament in 2008 and held major portfolios in the previous Labour government, including as Minister for Health and Education.
The 47-year-old, who presents himself as a humble man from an ordinary background, briefly became Prime Minister in 2023 when incumbent leader Jacinda Ardern abruptly quit, citing exhaustion. Labour was already flagging in the polls and Mr. Hipkins was unable to reverse the party's fortunes, with a dismal result ushering in Luxon's centre-right government.
Critics of Mr. Hipkins on the left decry him for being too timid, while those on the right often seek to remind voters of his role in Ms. Ardern's government as its strict COVID-19 lockdowns lost public confidence in some parts of the country.
Published - January 21, 2026 12:23 pm IST
New Zealand / World / politics (general) / election
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: India Set To Get Its First National Cow Culture Museum In Mathura Bangladesh to get new PM as Tarique Rahman set to take oath today Rajkummar Rao explains viral new look New Aadhaar App 2026 RBI’s New Lending Rules To Reshape Broker Model Tarique Rahman takes oath as Bangladesh prime minister after BNP’s landslide China Showcases Kung Fu Robots At Lunar New Year Gala At meeting with Election Commission Election Commission announces Rajya Sabha polls for 37 seats on March 16 Google CEO Sundar Pichai meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi
For the fourth time in less than two weeks, a sea of red and blue descended on the Wankhede Stadium. And it turned out to be a case of fourth-time lucky for Nepal as it ended its T20 World Cup sojourn by gifting the 19,000-odd fans a much-anticipated win against Scotland
1 days ago
An avalanche in California's Lake Tahoe region has left 10 backcountry skiers missing, authorities say, with six more people stranded and awaiting rescue. The avalanche was reported about 11:30PST (19:30GMT) in the Castle Peak area near the town of Truckee
1 days ago
One of the biggest changes is the renumbering of several commonly used tax documents, including salary and tax-credit statements used by millions of taxpayers. New Delhi: The government has proposed major changes to income-tax compliance forms under the Income-tax Act, 2025
1 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón at Hyderabad House in New Delhi amid high-level engagements at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026. The meeting between the two leaders followed President Sanchez’s arrival in the national
1 days ago
Pakistan's water crisis to worsen with approaching summers as India plans to halt excess Ravi river water flow to Pakistan with the completion of Shahpur Kandi barrage. Pakistan’s water crisis is deepening amid the Indus Waters Treaty suspension and is not going to end soon
1 days ago
Warner Bros Discovery is in talks with Paramount Skydance Corp. for a potential takeover. The Ellison family's bid has seen a slight increase. Warner boss David Zaslav is negotiating to secure the best possible deal for shareholders. Paramount needs to address remaining concerns to surpass
1 days ago
Vikrant Massey and Sheetal Thakur had been together for several years, officially registered their marriage on February 14, 2022, before hosting a traditional wedding ceremony on February 18, of the same year. New Delhi: Actor Vikrant Massey marked his fourth wedding anniversary with wife Sheetal
1 days ago
French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron met Bollywood stars in Mumbai, the delegation will travel to Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Mumbai: Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej met French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron in Mumbai on Tuesday
1 days ago
The United States has significantly increased its military presence in West Asia, deploying dozens of fighter jets to the region amid rising tensions with Iran and ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations in Geneva. The developments come alongside strong warnings from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah
1 days ago
A widespread YouTube outage on Tuesday disrupted video access worldwide, including India and the US. YouTube suffered a widespread outage on Tuesday, halting video access for users across multiple countries, including India and the United States
1 days ago
Tech giant Microsoft on Wednesday announced at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi that the company is on pace to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to help the Global South access artificial intelligence (AI)."Our five-part program is designed to make AI diffusion real at scale
1 days ago
A massive wildfire emergency has unfolded across the US Plains. In the northwestern part of Oklahoma, a fast-moving fire on the southwest side of Woodward forced evacuations on Tuesday. Wind gusts near 60 mph pushed flames through the red cedar-filled neighbourhoods
1 days ago
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed that then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked him to decide on the date for his swearing in as CM when 58 party MLAs had supported him back in 2014. Sharing what he called his “days of distress" in the Congress
1 days ago
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called the AI Summit a disorganized PR spectacle. He alleged that Chinese products were displayed at the event. This comes amid controversy over a robotic dog at the summit. Critics claim it was a Chinese-made product, not an Indian innovation
1 days ago
The Delhi Traffic Police has launched a dedicated ‘Digital Lok Adalat’ system to make the traffic challan settlement easier for the citizens, making the process quicker and more convenient. This initiative, introduced in collaboration with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) and
1 days ago
India is discussing age-based restrictions with social media companies, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Tuesday, following moves by Australia and other countries to ban young teens from popular platforms. Vaishnaw, speaking at a global artificial intelligence conference in New Delhi
1 days ago
Gold Rate Today: Gold retreats from record highs as 24K prices fall and futures dip on MCX. Check today’s city-wise rates and expert insights. Gold Rate Today: Gold prices have taken a breather after scaling record highs, with fresh data showing a noticeable dip in both domestic and global
1 days ago
A new leak has offered a closer look at the upcoming Infinix GT 50 Pro, pointing to design changes and hardware upgrades over last year’s gaming-focused model. The smartphone, from Infinix, has surfaced in alleged renders alongside a detailed specification sheet shared by tipsters online
1 days ago
Nissan Gravite vs Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: The Gravite’s smaller engine may feel underpowered, particularly when the car is loaded with seven people and luggage. In contrast, the Ertiga’s larger engine make it more practical for real-world family use and long-distance driving
1 days ago
Ameesha Patel has been issued a non-bailable warrant by a Moradabad court in connection with a 2017 fraud case, she is accused of accepting money for a wedding performance and issuing a cheque that later bounced. Legal trouble has resurfaced for Ameesha Patel as a Moradabad court issued a
1 days ago
The Ministry of Education on Tuesday organised a special session titled “Ministry of Education – Pushing the Frontier of AI in India" at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attended the session
1 days ago
The reactor involved was Ward 250, which belongs to a new class of compact microreactors. Washington: The United States has carried out an operation that has drawn global attention in the field of advanced energy technology. A nuclear reactor moved through the sky
1 days ago
Beyond the mines: Archaeologists uncover a massive 3,000-year-old gold processing city in Egypt’s Eastern Desert. Discover the ancient smelting furnaces, residential districts, and the 628 'Ostraca' library fragments rewriting history.Beyond the mines: Archaeologists uncover a massive 3
1 days ago
Even as debate around AI intensifies across industries, concerns about the technology are also growing. In an interview with CNN-News18 at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales discusses artificial intelligence, misinformation risks, open-source innovation
1 days ago
PAK vs NAM live streaming, match time, broadcasters and weather update as Pakistan fight for Super 8 qualification. Pakistan face Namibia in a high-stakes ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash on February 18 at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, with Super 8 qualification hanging in the balance
1 days ago
Salim Khan Health Updates: On Tuesday night, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was seen leaving the Lilavati Hospital where his 90-year-old father and veteran screenwriter Salim Khan has been admitted following complaints of swelling. The actor stepped out of the hospital premises late at night and
1 days ago
New Delhi: Massive traffic congestion hit several parts of the national capital as global leaders arrived for the high level AI summit. New Delhi: Heavy traffic congestion was reported across several key routes in the national capital as global leaders arrived to attend the high-profile AI summit
1 days ago
