Lockdown measures already in place in New Zealand will end in one week.
Making the announcement, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country will then move to a lower level of restrictions.
"New Zealand will move out of Alert Level 4 lockdown at 11:59 pm on Monday, April 27, one week from today," she said in a news conference.
"We will then hold in Alert Level 3 for two weeks, before reviewing how we are tracking again, and making further decisions at Cabinet on the 11th of May."
US judge lets more Epstein grand jury materials be made public
A US judge in Manhattan on Wednesday allowed for the public release of records from a grand jury investigation into Jeffrey Epstein because of a law recently passed by Congress, the latest in a string of similar rulings.
At least 22 killed in collapse of two buildings in Morocco's old city of Fez
At least 22 people were killed late on Tuesday after two buildings collapsed in Fez, one of Morocco's oldest cities and a key tourist destination, with the state broadcaster saying the blocks had shown signs of cracking.
Zelenskyy says he's open to elections if US ensures security
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is prepared to hold elections within three months if the US and Kyiv's other allies could ensure the security of the vote.
Putin meets Indonesia's Prabowo to discuss military and energy ties, wheat exports
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday that Moscow was pleased with the developing military ties between the two countries and ready to help Jakarta in the field of nuclear energy.
Air India urges overhaul in compliance culture after flying Airbus without permit
An Air India investigation into why one of its Airbus planes conducted eight commercial flights without an airworthiness permit found "systemic failures", with the airline admitting it needed to do better on compliance, a company document showed.
Sharjah Police have disrupted two cocaine smuggling operations, one domestic and one international, seizing a combined 17 kilograms of the drug and arresting several suspects linked to a multi-country trafficking network.
DP World has completed the first phase of its Living Seawalls installation at Jebel Ali Port, deploying 1,000 eco-engineered panels that transform flat seawall surfaces into habitats where marine life can thrive and enhance biodiversity, setting a new benchmark for sustainable port infrastructure in the region.
The UAE’s proactive approach to regulating and deploying artificial intelligence was in focus at BRIDGE Summit 2025 on Wednesday, where the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, warned that industries and nations hesitant to adopt AI risk being left behind.
