New Zealand government

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta speaks during an interview in her office Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, in Wellington, New Zealand. Mahutu is the first Indigenous Maori woman to be appointed foreign minister in New Zealand, and promises to bring a new perspective to the role. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)

AP Interview: Mahuta hits refresh on New Zealand diplomacy

Nov. 26, 2020 8:07 PM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Diplomats like to remain neutral but Nanaia Mahuta let the veil slip a little when a winner was declared in the U.S. election by tweeting a smiley-face emoji. Mahuta, the first indigenous Maori woman to be appointed New Zealand's foreign affairs minister, suppresses a...

In this photo provided by New Zealand Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on phone at her office in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. Ardern became the latest world leader to congratulate Biden on his election victory Monday and says she offered to share her nation's expertise on dealing the coronavirus. (New Zealand Prime Minister's Office via AP)

New Zealand leader Ardern offers virus know-how to Joe Biden

Nov. 23, 2020 1:15 AM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday became the latest world leader to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on his election victory, saying she offered to share her nation's expertise on dealing with the coronavirus. Ardern said the tone of the 20-minute...

Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, arrives for the opening of the first virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit, hosted by Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

APEC leaders, including Trump, agree on free trade

Nov. 20, 2020 11:40 AM EST

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, including U.S. President Donald Trump, pledged Friday to work toward free, open and non-discriminatory trade and investment to revive their coronavirus-battered economies. The leaders cast aside differences to issue...

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2010, file photo, Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi addresses a summit at the United Nations headquarters. On Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, Malielegaoi addressed the nation live on television and radio and appealed for calm after the country reported it’s first positive test for the coronavirus, although a second test on the same patient returned a negative result. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Asia Today: Samoa leader appeals for calm after COVID case

Nov. 19, 2020 7:37 AM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The leader of the small Pacific nation of Samoa appealed for calm Thursday after the country reported its first positive test for the coronavirus, although a second test on the same patient returned a negative result. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi addressed the...

Frozen beef cuts from Australia are displayed at the Australian grocer Coles's booth at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. China's government on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, defended anti-coronavirus controls that have disrupted imports of beef, poultry and fish from the United States, New Zealand and other trading partners. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

China defends food import controls to curb virus

Nov. 18, 2020 7:17 AM EST

BEIJING (AP) — China’s government on Wednesday defended anti-coronavirus controls that have disrupted imports of beef, poultry and fish from the United States, New Zealand and other trading partners. Customs officials who say the coronavirus has been found on frozen meat and on packaging have...

Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, puts on his mask before speaking during the joint press conference between IOC and Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) in Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 16, 2020. Olympic participants and fans arriving for next year's postponed Tokyo Olympics are likely to face requirements to be vaccinated to protect the Japanese public, Bach said Monday after meeting with new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. (Du Xiaoyi/Pool Photo via AP)

Asia Today: New Zealand imposes new mask rules as precaution

Nov. 16, 2020 8:58 AM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Starting Thursday, New Zealanders will be legally required to wear masks on public transport in Auckland and on planes nationwide. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Virus Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced the new rules on Monday after meeting with senior lawmakers....

An employee sanitizes a Hindu temple in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. India is second in the world in total reported coronavirus cases behind the U.S., but daily infections have been on the decline since the middle of September. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

The Latest: India registers over 30,000 new virus cases

Nov. 15, 2020 11:50 PM EST

NEW DELHI — India has registered 30,548 new confirmed coronaviruses cases in the past 24 hours, the lowest in the last four months but amid growing concerns of the latest surge in the capital New Delhi. The Health Ministry on Monday raised India’s tally to more than 8.84 million. It said the country...

People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus feed pigeons on a street in Goyang, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The Latest: NZealand mulls masks on Auckland public transit

Nov. 12, 2020 11:32 PM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s government could soon make wearing masks mandatory on public transit in Auckland and on planes nationwide as it continues to investigate a new community case of the coronavirus. Virus Response Minister Chris Hipkins says there are no plans at this point to...

An artist wearing face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus gives final touches to decorative items ahead of Diwali, in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. Health officials have warned about the potential for the coronavirus to spread during the upcoming religious festival season, which is marked by huge gatherings in temples and shopping districts. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

The Latest: Cases soaring in New Delhi ahead of festival

Nov. 11, 2020 11:40 PM EST

NEW DELHI — Coronavirus infections are continuing to soar in India’s capital as the country heads into a festival weekend that sees large gatherings. New Delhi reported 8,593 newly confirmed cases Thursday, up from 7,830 cases a day earlier as people crowd shopping areas ahead of Saturday’s...

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2013, file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with then U.S. Vice President Joe Biden as they pose for photos at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. As Americans celebrate or fume over the new president-elect, many in Asia are waking up to the reality of a Joe Biden administration with decidedly mixed feelings. Relief and hopes of economic and environmental revival jostle with needling anxiety and fears of inattention. The two nations are inexorably entwined, economically and politically, even as the U.S. military presence in the Pacific chafes against China’s expanded effort to have its way in what it sees as its natural sphere of influence. (AP Photo/Lintao Zhang, Pool, File)

A worried Asia wonders: What will Joe Biden do?

Nov. 9, 2020 12:14 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — As Asia comes to terms with the reality of a Joe Biden administration, relief and hopes of economic and environmental revival jostle with needling anxiety and fears of inattention. From security to trade to climate change, a powerful U.S. reach extends to nearly every corner of the...

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