Covid-19 live: 21,616 new cases were reported today, 960 in hospital as Omicron sub-variant takes over

Can't view this email, [click here]( 16 March 2022 Hi {NAME}, Catch up on today's latest news in your daily briefing. Top Headlines [Large Article Image]( [Covid-19 live: 21,616 new cases were reported today, 960 in hospital as Omicron sub-variant takes over]( Two Covid related deaths reported today as new variant dominates cases while Auckland hits peak. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Large Article Image]( [Consumer NZ test finds some dishwasher detergents not much better than water]( Two products received a 'don't buy' warning from the watchdog. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Former politician and husband removed from land they have occupied for 35 years]( Ex ACT MP Donna Awatere Huata's family leased the land on a “handshake” agreement in 1986, but years of disputes with the owner ended in a court battle. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Omicron NZ: Here! Have some (relatively) positive Covid news about BA.2]( New Zealand is currently having two Omicron outbreaks, not one. But this may actually be good news. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Former National Party leader Simon Bridges retiring from politics, will spark by-election]( Former National leader announces he is leaving politics and Parliament - sparking a by-election. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Covid-19 NZ: Government to move tourism opening date forwards to April]( The Government will tomorrow announce that tourists can return from April, Stuff understands. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( National news [Small Article Image]( [Coroner: Person who died at anti-mandate camp site suspected to have Covid-19]( Paramedics wore protective clothing at Friday's incident on private property, where it is believed a group of Parliament protesters are staying. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Quiz: Afternoon trivia challenge: March 15, 2022]( What is the name given to a metal that resists oxidation? [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Covid 19 NZ: The strange story of a man who has found fame in the anti-vaccination ecosystem]( The strange story of the man who went from complaining about “bullet-hard” lentils to becoming a leading voice in the anti-vax movement. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( Technology [Small Article Image]( [Are digital platforms helpful or harmful for teenage mental health?]( SPONSORED: Digital tools can benefit our lives, but how does it affect the mental health of teens? [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio review]( REVIEW: The Laptop Studio is a sleek-looking device. From the outside it doesn’t have a very distinctive look but overall it looks nice. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [The difference a decade has made to our internet speeds]( SPONSORED: The development of top-tier fibre infrastructure for NZ has been over a decade in the making. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Apple unveils iPhone SE 3, iPad Air 5, Mac Studio and Studio Display]( Apple has revealed its iPhone SE 3 and iPad Air as expected, plus introduced a whole new desktop computer called the Mac Studio. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [The HP Pavilion Aero 13 has a lot going for it]( REVIEW: An ultraportable laptop that you’ll love, not just for what it can do but for how much it saves your wallet. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Apple’s March event is official — here’s what to expect]( Apple will be holding its first event of the year on March 8 featuring the tagline “peek performance”. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( Business [Small Article Image]( [Our grocery shopping 'missions' are helping supermarkets earn super profits]( OPINION: The way we shop is helping supermarkets make their 'excess' profits. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Kiwibank lifts fixed home loan rates]( Bank follows ANZ in lifting its one- and two-year fixed-rate mortgage rates. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Easter egg production returns to Dunedin four years since closure of Cadbury factory]( Sweet Easter treats are once again being produced in Dunedin, and consumers can't get enough. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Fuel prices plummet across the country, but will they stay below $3 for long?]( Fuel prices have almost dropped below $3 across the country after the Government removed 25 cents in petrol tax overnight. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Auckland landlord must pay tenant $500 after calling him 'disgusting', 'sick']( A landlord's text messages and verbal abuse caused an Auckland man significant distress, tribunal finds. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Work on new 'neighbourhood shopping' complex edges closer with consent filed]( The new development on the outskirts of Blenheim will be made up of smaller retail spaces, with professional office spaces above them. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( Rural [Small Article Image]( [Fonterra should walk away from Russia, says Federated Farmers]( Wash your hands of your investment in Russia and get out, Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard tells Fonterra. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Fieldays' new November date will come with big economic cost]( The postponement of Fieldays will have wide financial implications for the Waikato. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Farmers face a trifecta of risks for winter season]( Access to labour, the Omicron outbreak and a late kill season will have a direct impact on farm planning in the coming winter season. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Farm confidence hits lowest point in decades: Federated Farmers]( But one farmer says there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Carlos Bagrie: There's a time and place for nitrogen fertiliser]( OPINION: Significant overuse of nitrogen can lead to detrimental downstream effects, but “little and often” nitrogen applications at the lower end of the scale can help deliver good crop yields without ecological destruction. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Local farmers grow quality wheat but most of us aren't eating it. Here's why]( New Zealand's wheat growers are some of the most productive in the world, yet few get a chance to eat it. That could soon change. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( World [Small Article Image]( [Live: Explosions rock central Kyiv, Zelenskyy calls on Russian troops to surrender]( Residents in Ukraine's capital have woken to huge blasts, fires and air raid sirens, while the country's president has called on Russian troops to throw down their weapons. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Pregnant woman whose photo showed tragedy of war in Ukraine dies with her baby]( The photo, taken after Russia bombed a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, was shared and the strike condemned around the world. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [How the battle of Kyiv gives Ukraine the advantage over Russia for the first time]( ANALYSIS: Street-by-street and hand-to-hand, how a concentrated ground attack could put Putin's army at a significant disadvantage. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Ukraine invasion: The financier who calls himself Vladimir Putin’s ‘number one enemy’]( Bill Browder refuses to live in fear from Russian gangsters, despite moving regularly and never eating in the same restaurant twice. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Three ways Russia has shown military ‘incompetence’ during its invasion of Ukraine]( ANALYSIS: Between a lack of air support, use of older weapons and poor morale overall – it seems Russia isn’t fighting smart. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Covid cases double in China's growing 'stealth Omicron' outbreak]( A fast-spreading variant of Omicron is testing China’s zero-tolerance strategy, which has kept the virus at bay until now. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( Entertainment [Small Article Image]( [Russian editor storms into her own live TV broadcast with anti-war banner]( Channel One editor Marina Ovsyannikova has been detained, but not before sending a message to Russian viewers. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Tova O'Brien: I didn’t think my 14 years at Newshub would end that way]( Former TV3 political editor was legally allowed to talk to her new MediaWorks colleagues and step into her new studio for the first time today. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Jane Campion apologises for 'thoughtless' Serena and Venus Williams comment at Critics' Choice Awards]( Campion made the comment at the Critics' Choice Awards, saying the tennis sisters "do not play against the guys, like I have to.” [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [60 Seconds: Stars highlight TVNZ's tepid, TikTok-inspired talent show's shortcomings]( REVIEW: The standard of performances is high, but the format is convoluted, the interactions laboured and the whole production just feels a bit cheap. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Liar Liar: One of Jim Carrey's most beloved movies turns 25]( REVIEW: It offers the Canadian-born comedian at his most unadulterated and untethered - and the results are often hilarious. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Pete Davidson officially heading to space as passenger on Blue Origin flight]( The Saturday Night Live and King of Staten Island star's impending space launch date has now been confirmed, as has info on his fellow passengers. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( Sport [Small Article Image]( [Kiwi caddy's $500,000 pay day in US]( Sam Pinfold had his work cut out as Aussie Cam Smith topped their long-time partnership with a massive victory. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Lewis Hamilton plans to change his name]( The seven-time F1 world champion says he wants his mother's name to live on and be part of his legacy. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Recap: Australia vs West Indies - Women's Cricket World Cup]( An unbeaten half-century from Rachael Haynes ensured the tournament favourites kept their winning streak intact in Wellington. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( ['Being Australian doesn't help' - heat builds on Eddie Jones]( Jones' heritage comes into play, being slammed for "macho" attitude as another 6N campaign disintegrates. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Knocked out of the ring but desperate for a rematch]( Controversial Irish boxer Michael Conlan returns from hospital after insane KO and demands a world title sequel. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( [Small Article Image]( [Plunket Shield: Bizarre moment as Black Caps spinner Ajaz Patel stands ground after being dismissed]( Watch: For an awkward and drawn-out moment, Ajaz Patel refused to budge as disbelieving ND players celebrated. [Share article on Facebook]( [Share article on Twitter]( Stuff daily quiz Have you taken part in today's quiz? [See what it takes to reach the top of the leader board.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Unsubscribe]( [Newsletter Settings]( [Privacy Policy]( [Advertise]( [Feedback](