New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday extended a lockdown measures in Auckland in response to the first coronavirus outbreak in months.
Lockdown measures in Auckland, home to about 1.7 million people, and social distancing measures across the country that were imposed on Wednesday would remain in place for another 12 days.
"As we have said from the start, our overall COVID-19 strategy remains elimination," Ardern said in a televised media conference. "Together, we have got rid of COVID before. We have kept it out for 102 days, longer than any other country. We can do all of that again."
She explained that the genomic testing has shown that the latest outbreak is a different strain to the original outbreak earlier in the year.
Ardern is under pressure ahead of a upcoming general election, with the main opposition National Party accusing the government of failing to secure quarantine facilities and withholding information.
The leader cautioned that more cases were likely in the coming days but said she was confident officials would successfully identify the "perimeter" of the cluster - if not its source - allowing them to isolate cases and remove restrictions.
Her swift action followed the discovery on Tuesday of the country's first COVID-19 infections in 102 days, in a family in Auckland. Since then, officials have identified a total of 29 cases, all linked to the same cluster.
Russia and Ukraine completed the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each on Sunday, the Russian Defence Ministry and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, in the largest such swap since the war began three years ago.
Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight, including the capital Kyiv, in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.
Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 307 of their service personnel on Saturday on the second day of a prisoner exchange that, when completed, is set to be the largest such swap in the three-year war between the two countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the prisoner swap - which should see 1,000 prisoners released on each side over three days - could herald a new phase in stop-start efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
Saturday's swap was announced by Russia's defence ministry, and separately by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a post on social
French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the completion of 70 per cent of the Umm Suqeim Street Improvement Project, which extends from the intersection with Al Khail Road to the junction with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.
Abu Dhabi Police and the Civil Defence Authority have brought a fire under control that broke out at a store in the Mussafah industrial area on Sunday.
The World Silk Road Forum has named His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, as the Inspirational Literary Figure for Silk Road Poets.