f2917d5b191ce003f6c6284f0596159f

New Zealand has observed further live-fire drills by Chinese vessels o n the Tasman Sea. - AP

China

Chinese warships conduct second live-fire drills

New Zealand says the Chinese navy has conducted a second live-fire exercise in international waters near the Pacific nation, a day after it held a similar drill between Australia and New Zealand that forced airlines to divert flights.

"Reporting from the New Zealand Defence Force that the Chinese naval Task Group has advised of a second window for live firing activity, on Saturday afternoon," a spokesperson for Defence Minister Judith Collins said in a statement.

Personnel on New Zealand Navy frigate Te Kaha observed live rounds fired from a Chinese vessel's main gun, the statement said, adding that the task group had "advised via radio channels of its intent to conduct live firing".

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said earlier that it was unclear where the Chinese naval vessels were headed in international waters and for what purpose.

"What we are doing is monitoring and shadowing and tracking the fleet," he said in Christchurch, adding that China was acting in accordance with international law.

Luxon alos said no formal notice had been provided to New Zeland about the drills 

Saturday's live-fire drill took place in the Tasman Sea, broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.

On Friday, airlines including Qantas, Emirates and Air New Zealand had to modify flight paths between Australia and New Zealand after China broadcast a message that its navy would hold live-fire exercises in international waters off Australia's New South Wales state coast.

Australia Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Saturday Beijing had failed to give satisfactory reasons for what he called inadequate notice of Friday's live-fire drill. The late notice was "disconcerting" for commercial aviation, he said.

"When we do an activity of this kind, we would typically give 12 to 24 hours notice," Marles told broadcaster Nine Entertainment, according to a transcript.

The warning by the Chinese vessels was at "very short notice", Marles said, without saying how many hours were given.

Australia's defence force said there was no imminent risk of danger to Australian or New Zealand assets, the government said on Friday.

POPULAR ARTICLES

Interview

USA

Pence emerges as one of few willing to challenge Trump 2.0

His group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s health agencies. He’s delivering speeches urging the president to stand with longstanding foreign allies and lobbying members of...

AP

Technology

USA

Flying car ‘does work, does exist’

The concept of flying cars has long been a mainstay in imaginings of the future, and Alef Aeronautics believes it is one step closer to making that future a reality. The California based company has released videos showing their flying car, an ultralight version of the Alef Model Zero, taking off vertically and travelling over a parked truck. “This is the first publicly released video of a car driving and taking off vertically,“ the company said.

Reuters

Families

Ticker

Reason ‘lazy’ teens can’t get up for school

Laziness may not be behind Australian teenagers’ chronic sleepiness despite one-third of parents believing the myth. New research by The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne has shed light on the incorrect stereotypes facing sleep-deprived students.  Paediatrician and director of RCH’s National Child Health Poll Dr Anthea Rhodes said natural changes to teenager’s internal body clocks are the more likely reason for nightly woes than bad habits alone.  ”The body clock, or diurnal rhythm does shift, which means your natural hormones are more stimulated into the evening, and you’re wired to want to stay up later,“ she said.  ”Then, because teenagers still need a large amount of sleep due to growing and developing a lot and their brains changing, they generally end up needing to sleep in.“ Doctors labelled other factors such as inconsistent bedtimes, screen use before bed and caffeine as all contributing to difficulty getting to sleep.

AAP Newswire

POPULAR ARTICLES

Aviation

New Zealand

Over-fuelled plane leaves passengers behind

Passengers on an Air New Zealand flight from Wellington to Dunedin on Saturday were told 13 volunteers would need to get off the plane to lighten the load or all the baggage would be left behind. One of the passengers said he and other passengers were paid hundreds of dollars each to get off the overweight Air New Zealand flight, which the airline blamed on over-fuelling. Michael Reddell was on the plane to Dunedin to take his daughter to the University of Otago when the airline announced passengers would need to disembark or the baggage be unloaded.

RNZ

Security

New Zealand

Honesty box theft: ‘They dug the whole thing up’

Members of a tennis club on Auckland’s North Shore are shocked by the theft of their honesty box. Campbells Bay Tennis club members came to play their regular matches last week, only to find a hole where their honesty box for court fees used to be...

RNZ

Business

New Zealand

Posties defy ‘nonsense’ order on PO boxes

New Zealand’s posties are disobeying an order from NZ Post to return mail to sender, rather than mark it up with the correct PO box number. The Postal Workers Union says it has been unsuccessful in its attempts to have NZ Post abandon the policy, which means mail is returned to sender if it is not addressed to a PO box when one is available.

RNZ