The Bull Ring

𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜 ℤ𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕜𝕪 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕙 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕍𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕕𝕪𝕞𝕪𝕣 ℤ𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕜𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕝𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕪 𝕠𝕟 𝕒 𝕞𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕕𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕞𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕙𝕚𝕥𝕖 ℍ𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 U ntouched salad plates and other lunch items were being packed up outside the Cabinet room where the lunch between Trump and Zelenskyy and their delegations was supposed to have taken place. The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelensky — who had urged scepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage. It began with Vance telling Zelensky, “Mr President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.” Zelensky tried to object, prompting Trump to raise his voi...

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕗 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕'𝕤 ℂ𝕆𝕍𝕀𝔻-𝟙𝟡 ℝ𝕖𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕖 𝔽𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕 𝟙𝟡 𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒. 𝕎𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕒 𝕘𝕝𝕠𝕓𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕔 𝕠𝕟 𝔸𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕒 N ew Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely regarded as one of the most effective globally, characterized by a proactive, science-driven, and empathetic approach that prioritized elimination over mitigation. With a population of approximately 5 million, its geographic isolation, and a unified government strategy, New Zealand managed to limit the virus’s spread, minimize deaths, and maintain a semblance of normalcy for extended periods. The response evolved through distinct phases—early containment, strict lockdowns, border management, vaccination rollout, and eventual relaxation of restrictions—reflecting adaptability to the virus’s changing nature and global context. This s...

𝔽𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕'𝕤 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕-𝟙𝟡 𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕀𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕗𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕'𝕤 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕕 ℂ𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕-𝟙𝟡 𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕪 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣. T hat summer, our skies turned an eerie orange sepia, due to smoke from Australia's bushfires, and a strange new virus called Covid-19 was spreading around the world. Our first case of coronavirus was a woman in her 60s who had arrived from Iran. Five years later, most people on the streets of Tāmaki Makaurau told  First Up  they remembered where they were when they heard the news. A couple who were backpacking in Vietnam at the time said they did not realise how serious things were until the army started arriving and closing down the hostels. . . Another woman said she had just arrived home from work and started panicking because...

𝕌𝕊 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕕𝕤 𝕦𝕡 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 ℕℤ 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕒𝕤 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤, 𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕊 𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 "𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟" 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕒. T he Pentagon's power moves in space come with the NATO alliance in crisis, and as China projects naval power in the Tasman Sea with three warships conducting live-fire exercises that disrupted trans-Tasman passenger flights. New Zealand is already engaged with the US Space Force in several ways, including a fledgling network that the Americans aim to expand to "deliver battlefield intelligence" from commercial satellites "to military commands". "The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is aware of the ...