The Bull Ring

1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll: Collins up as preferred PM, but National still in deep trouble Breaking 20 min ago • Source:  1 NEWS   Judith Collins has soared in the preferred Prime Minister rankings since taking over as National leader - but her party is languishing at just 32% in today's 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll. 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton Poll - July 2020. Source: 1 NEWS After weeks of political scandal, resig...

The moment Donald Trump realises no one likes him any more. Prefer Dr Fauci. Donald Trump maintains he has a "very good relationship" with the country's top COVID-19 advisor, but has wondered aloud why the doctor's approval rating is so high compared to his own. . . In a media briefing on Tuesday (US time), the US President said he gets along with Dr Anthony Fauci "very well" despite retweeting a message claiming he'd "misled the American public on many issues" on Monday. The Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases had previously clashed with President Trump over whether the drug hydroxychloroquine was effective in treating COVID-19. On Tuesday, Trump said he "liked" the fact Dr Fauci is well thought of by Americans, before questioning why he wasn't rated as well in regard to his handling of coronavirus. "You know, it's interesting, he's got a very good approval rating,...

US death toll passes 150,000 amid burgeoning outbreak of misinformation The death toll from the  coronavirus  in the United States hit 150,000 on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time), by the far the highest in the world, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The bleak milestone comes amid signs the outbreak is beginning to stabilise in states across the southeast and southwest, but heating up in the Midwest, fuelled largely by young adults who are hitting bars, restaurants and gyms again. . . The surge has been accompanied by a burgeoning outbreak of misinformation and conspiracy theories about supposed cures and the effectiveness of masks. Brazil was second with over 88,000 deaths, followed by Britain at about 46,000. Johns Hopkins put the US' confirmed infections at nearly 4.4 million, also the highest in the world, though the real numbers in the US and around the globe are believed to be higher because of limits on testing and the many mild cas...

Ministry of Health issues breach of confidence to Auckland Helicopter Rescue Trust following COVID-19 patient leak by national party scum The Ministry of Health has issued a breach of confidence notice to the Auckland Helicopter Rescue Trust (AHRT) following the leak of private COVID-19 patient details. . . Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed the Ministry has contacted 18 people who had their details leaked in what Health Minister Chris Hipkins called a "disgraceful and grubby act" for "political purposes".  The leak was perpetrated by then-National MP Hamish Walker and then-Acting chief executive of the AHRT and ex-National Party president Michelle Boag. On Thursday the results of a probe led by Michael Heron QC confirmed Boag received the details then passed them, without authorisation, to Walker who shared them with media organisations in an effort to prove he wasn't a racist. The probe found it was an act of self-pre...

Report released on grubby, disgusting COVID-19 information leak by National party scum Health Minister Chris Hipkins has blasted the "disgraceful and grubby" leaking of confidential COVID-19 patient data by National MP Hamish Walker and ex-National Party president Michelle Boag.  In early July, some news media were leaked a confidential list of details concerning 18 active confirmed cases of COVID-19. The list included the names, dates of birth, ages and quarantine locations for each of the patients. . . The State Services Commission investigation into the breached data led by Michael Heron QC confirmed on Thursday that Walker and Boag were each responsible for the unauthorised disclosure of the information.  It confirmed that Boag received the information in her capacity as the acting CEO of the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust. The email containing the data was sent to 14 email addresses associated with emergency services.  Boag then forward the data ...

Cartoon Of The Day .

Taiwanese President thanks Saviour Jacinda Ardern for 'speaking up' for Taiwan The Taiwanese President has thanked Jacinda Ardern for "speaking up for" the Asian state's participation at the World Health Organization.  Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, has been near-universally praised for its efforts in fighting COVID-19, having only recorded 467 cases despite its close proximity to China, where the illness originated. . . Throughout the pandemic, that success has fuelled calls for the state - which China considers its territory - to be an observer at the WHO, something Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters  has supported .  "In the interests [of] international health, you want every country in an international organisation designed to improve the world's health. It's just logic," he said in May. "Personally, you've got to have every population in the world in the WHO if it's to have any meaning....