Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, a thief gets a rude shock after swiping a jar of cookies from an Auckland store, and an ultrarunner's team is attacked by dogs in their first week on the Te Araroa trail.
1 Trump sworn in as the 47th president of the United States
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president today, promising a "revolution of common sense" and taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.
Trump, who overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House acted swiftly after the ceremony, signing executive orders to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development, and end diversity and inclusion programmes across the federal government.
The executive orders are the first step in what Trump will call "the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense".
2 Thief's rude shock after swiping jar of cookies from Auckland store
A thief has stolen a bunch of cookies, complete with the jar, from a shop in Auckland — likely without realising the cookies were for display and made of plastic.
CCTV footage from Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar in Auckland's Manukau showed the sweet-toothed swiper creeping into the store and grabbing the caramilk-labelled display jar from the counter before making their escape.
3 Ultrarunner's team attacked by dogs in first week on Te Araroa trail
A well-known international ultrarunner, seeking to log the shortest-ever traverse of New Zealand's Te Araroa trail, has reported being attacked by dogs near the start.
Belgian Karel Sabbe shares his running and hiking adventures with a large number of social media followers, and set out early on Thursday to run 3054 kilometres along the trail from from Cape Reinga to Bluff Hill Motupōhue in Southland.
On Monday morning — Sabbe's fourth day on the trail — he posted that he was 415km into his trail journey, but he and his support crew had been attacked by wild dogs.
4 Teen admits to Taylor Swift-themed dance class murders in UK
A British teen pleaded guilty today to murdering three girls and attempting to kill 10 other people in what a prosecutor said was a "meticulously planned" stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.
The crime shocked Britain, and misinformation about the attacker sparked anti-immigrant violence across the country. The government announced it would hold an independent public inquiry into the attack, which was carried out by a UK-born teenager with a troubling fascination with violence.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, entered the surprise guilty pleas as jury selection had been expected to begin at the start of his trial in Liverpool Crown Court.
5 Fines of $16,500 dished out for failure to keep food records
An Auckland food producer and manager have been fined a total of $16,500 after failing to keep food production records.
Soma & Sons Limited, which trades as Tasty Foods, and 34-year-old manager Bhavesh Soma were sentenced on two charges under the Food Act, following a prosecution by New Zealand Food Safety.
In March 2021, a trade level food recall of fully cooked samosas was undertaken because the samosas found on site were being stored at an unsafe temperature and there were no records available for cooking and cooling temperatures.
An investigation by NZ Food Safety found Soma & Sons Ltd did not record cooling and cooking temperatures as part of its Food Control Plan on four occasions between 2020 and 2022.
ONE GROSS DISCOVERY
Mystery balls that washed up on Sydney’s northern beaches last week have tested positive for human-generated waste — similar to those that appeared on the city’s eastern beaches last year.
The latest discovery of white globules, ranging in size from tennis balls to beach balls, led to the closure of nine beaches on January 14.
ONE HUNDRED GOALS
A standout performance from teenage goalkeeper Alby Kelly-Heald and Kosta Barbarouses' 100th A-League Men goal have helped Wellington secure a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Macarthur.
The 34-year-old became just the fourth player in A-League history to achieve the feat, joining Bruno Fornaroli, Besart Berisha, and Jamie Maclaren.
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