- Honda and Nissan to launch merger talks
- Police arrest suspect who set woman on fire in New York subway
- China vows 'cooperation' over ship linked to severed Baltic Sea cables
- Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Luxury Western goods line Russian stores, three years into sanctions
- Wallace and Gromit return with comic warning about AI dystopia
- Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
- Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
- Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
- Lonely this Christmas: Vendee skippers in low-key celebrations on high seas
- Troubled Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- 2 US pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire' incident: military
- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
- Death toll in Brazil bus crash rises to 41
- Odermatt stays hot to break Swiss World Cup wins record
- Neville says Rashford's career at Man Utd nearing 'inevitable ending'
- Syria's new leader vows not to negatively interfere in Lebanon
- Germany pledges security inquest after Christmas market attack
- Putin vows 'destruction' on Ukraine after Kazan drone attack
- Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends
- France awaits appointment of new government
Toddler among dead as New Zealand storm toll mounts
A New Zealand mum has recounted the heartbreak of watching her two-year-old daughter being swept away in floodwaters unleashed by Cyclone Gabrielle, which has killed at least eight people.
The storm has faded into the South Pacific but left a trail of destruction and human suffering across New Zealand's North Island.
About 10,000 people are displaced, cities and towns are still without power and drinking water, and local government officials estimate tens or even hundreds of communities have yet to be contacted.
Police on Friday confirmed an eighth death as a result of the storm, saying "the person is believed to have died after being caught in flood water".
Details are only gradually emerging about the scale of the disaster and the horrors endured by survivors such as Ella Louise Collins.
Collins, her husband and their two kids were trapped in their one-storey home in the hard-hit Hawke's Bay region when the floodwaters arrived.
"The water was about 10 centimetres from the ceiling in our house and rose extremely quickly and violently," Collins wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The family of four tried to escape to the safety of a neighbour's roof, but were stopped by what she called "a sudden torrent of water which almost drowned us all".
In the chaos, two-and-a-half-year-old Ivy was swept away and drowned. Collins said the child "died very quickly".
"Please give us time while we ground ourselves and navigate this impossible time."
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins toured the Hawke's Bay region on Friday, saying "the whole country" was feeling for communities affected.
"There are some people who are in a very, very fragile state.
"I just ask people to keep going, you know, we will get through this. We will come out the other side of it. But it is an exceptionally challenging circumstance at the moment."
- 'The pressure grows' -
Hipkins came to office less than a month ago with the shock resignation of Jacinda Ardern -- who won international acclaim for her handling of a string of crises, including the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks.
Now, five days after Gabrielle first struck, Hipkins is facing mounting questions about the speed of his administration's response in one of the wealthiest and most disaster-ready countries in the world.
"The longer the power's out, the longer the communications are out, the more the pressure grows. I feel that," Hipkins said.
"I've absolutely felt that today on the ground... All I can say to people is: everyone is going as fast as they can to try and get things reconnected."
He also told New Zealanders to prepare for several more days of crisis response before the cleanup can begin in earnest, and for "the likelihood there will be more fatalities".
Hipkins said police have "grave concerns" for those still missing, with 4,500 reports of people still unaccounted for.
He added that an 80-strong team is working to whittle that figure down.
With roads and bridges still unusable, the military has been deployed to help provide clean drinking water and supplies by sea and air.
The east coast city of Gisborne on Friday issued an urgent warning that drinking water was unsafe to consume after a "major" failure at the local treatment plant.
Local emergency management officials said it was "unknown" how long the district would be without clean water.
Authorities said 62,000 homes nationwide were still without power on Friday.
H.Portela--PC