NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

10 things you need to know right now

NZ Herald
10 Dec, 2015 07:29 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
South Korean conservative activists with effigy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during a rally denouncing North Korea's rocket firing. Photo / Getty Images

South Korean conservative activists with effigy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during a rally denouncing North Korea's rocket firing. Photo / Getty Images

Your wrap of the world stories that broke overnight.

1. In comments published by state media, Kim Jong Un has suggested North Korea has a hydrogen bomb, a type of weapon which can produce a more powerful blast than an atomic bomb. KCNA quotes him as saying: "[North Korea was] ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb." The claim has not been verified. Yonhap quoted Lee Chun Geun, of the Science and Technology Policy Institute in South Korea, as saying: "It's hard to regard North Korea as possessing an H-bomb. I think it seems to be developing it."

2. The Serial podcast has returned and its subject is Bowe Bergdahl, the US military 'deserter' and the longest-held US prisoner of war since Vietnam. Bergdahl, who spent five years as a Taliban captive after leaving his post in Afghanistan, is speaking publicly about the events for the first time. The first episode appeared today and focuses on his release and the fallout. Bergdahl says he likened himself to fictional spy Jason Bourne before his capture. "I had this fantastic idea that I was going to prove to the world that I was the real thing," he said, describing a plan to collect intelligence on the Taliban. Sarah Koenig's programme is dipping into an active political case - Bergdahl has been charged with desertion and misbehaviour. Serial last year drew millions of followers investigating a murder case.

3. The Vatican said in a document that Catholics should not try to convert Jews and should work with them to battle anti-Semitism. Reuters says it is the latest move on issues such as gay rights and re-marriage that the Vatican or Pope Francis have made to move away from entrenched traditions.

4. Turkish prosecutors are demanding 35-year jail terms for two alleged people-smugglers blamed for the death in September of Aylan Kurdi, the 3-year-old whose beached body symbolised the Syrian refugee crisis.

5. The hunt for terrorism suspects has shifted to Switzerland with Geneva on maximum alert. Guards at the European United Nations headquarters and other landmarks are carrying submachine guns and police are working with French counterparts to hunt four suspects, the Guardian reports. Local police received a tip off about an Isis (Islamic State) threat. Geneva daily Le Temps reported that a friend of Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam was in a van with Belgian plates spotted by Geneva police on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the finance chief for Isis has been killed in air strikes, a US military spokesman said. Abu Salah and two other leaders were killed by the coalition in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks. The US also says Isis has looted up to US$1 billion from bank vaults in the two countries.

6. A hoard of 186 Viking coins, silver and jewellery, buried in about 870AD, has been discovered by James Mather, an amateur metal detectorist in Britain. The British Museum today announced the hoard, found in Watlington, Oxfordshire, and said it dates to when Anglo-Saxon kings began to fight back against Viking expansion across Britain.

7. A man has used a hoverboard to steal a crate of drinks at a London shop. Met police released CCTV footage of the man rolling into the Co-Op in Mitcham, grabbing the Lucozade, and then rolling out again.

8. AFP reports that a Russian store chain has apologised for selling chopping boards showing images of a family of monkeys - with US President Barack Obama's face on the smallest one. A spokeswoman for the Bakhetle supermarket chain said it had been unaware of the Obama image and had pulled the item. The US Embassy in Moscow had complained on Twitter after a picture of a board was posted on social media.

9. Michael Adebolajo, one of the two convicted killers of soldier Lee Rigby, is seeking compensation after losing two front teeth in a struggle with prison guards at Belmarsh jail two years ago. Media reports said the claim could be about 20,000 pounds. The Ministry of Justice said it would defend the case. Adebolajo is serving life for hacking Rigby to death in 2013.

10. Two cheetahs that were released at a South African military airbase have attacked an officer, causing minor injuries. The cheetahs, which are captive-bred, were freed last week with the aim of chasing small animals off the runway at Makhado near the border with Zimbabwe, AFP reports. The South African Air Force said male cheetahs have been used since the 1990s to control animals that stray on to runways. Warthogs, impala and antelopes can cause problems.

Discover more

World

Surge in foreigners joining Isis

10 Dec 02:00 AM
World

Kim Jong-un's pop propaganda girl group to perform in China

10 Dec 06:40 AM
World

Five face NSW terror plot charges

10 Dec 04:30 PM
World

Hit podcast Serial returns with Taliban hostage story

11 Dec 05:00 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Israel army levels high-rises in Gaza City offensive

Watch
World

UK Deputy PM quits over tax breach, triggers major reshuffle

New Zealand

NZ Herald Morning News Update | Te Pati Maori and NZ First Annual Conference

Watch

Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Israel army levels high-rises in Gaza City offensive
World

Israel army levels high-rises in Gaza City offensive

Israel continues it's relentless assault on those in Gaza city. levelling high rise buildings with their latest strike. Video / AFP

Watch
05 Sep 09:29 PM
UK Deputy PM quits over tax breach, triggers major reshuffle
World

UK Deputy PM quits over tax breach, triggers major reshuffle

05 Sep 09:14 PM
NZ Herald Morning News Update | Te Pati Maori and NZ First Annual Conference
New Zealand

NZ Herald Morning News Update | Te Pati Maori and NZ First Annual Conference

Watch
05 Sep 08:38 PM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP