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New Zealand declares state of emergency in Wellington as floods hit

Published

5 months ago

2026/04/20

Priyan

Footage online show vehicles submerged, trees uprooted, houses hit by landslides [BBC]

New Zealand has declared a state of emergency in its capital city Wellington as torrential rain and flash flooding drenched the country’s North Island.

Footage online shows vehicles submerged, trees uprooted and houses hit by landslides. Wellington received a record 77mm (3in) of rain in less than an hour on Monday, said mayor Andrew Little.

Local authorities advised residents to hunker down, with rain forecast for the next day and a half. Some flights at Wellington Airport have been cancelled and several schools have shut their campuses.

More than a dozen people have been evacuated while a 60-year-old man in the Karori suburb has been reported missing. No fatalities have been reported so far.

This series of flash floods comes less than a week after Cyclone Vaianu swept through the North Island last weekend.

Research over the years have shown that climate change has made extreme weather events, including floods, more common and more intense around the world.

“The wild weather continues. We’ve had flooding, slips and evacuations… The flooding has been strong enough to move cars, and many manhole covers have been lifted,” Little said in a video published on his Facebook page.

In the suburb of Kingston, a resident told Radio New Zealand (RNZ) that he had tried to escape on the back of his neighbour’s motorbike after a landslide buried a nearby road in the early hours of Monday.

“It’s definitely a big event,” he said. “You wouldn’t have wanted to be under it, it wouldn’t have been survivable.”

Another resident in the suburb of Mornington said his garden had been “inundated with water, you couldn’t see the grass or anything”. There was a “huge deluge, flow, river in fact, flowing through the garden”, he told RNZ.

Mark Mitchell, the minister for emergency management and recovery, said they were expecting the “worst of the weather” later on Monday evening.

“If you are in the Wellington region, be prepared,” he said in a post on Facebook. “If you are going to evacuate make those decisions early and keep yourself updated with information.”

The emergency management office for the Wellington region has advised residents to cut or delay all non-essential travel, and for those residing in low-lying or flood-prone areas to consider relocating to their friends’ and families’ for at least the next 24 hours.

The Wellington City Mission has been set up for those who need shelter, the office added.

[BBC]

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Italian Naval Vessel ‘ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ arrives in Colombo

Published

3 hours ago

2026/09/9

Priyan

The Italian Naval Vessel ‘ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ arrived in Sri Lanka today, 9 September 2026, on a replenishment visit.

The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in accordance with naval traditions at the port of Colombo.

‘ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ is a 180m long Landing Helicopter Aircraft Vessel commanded by Captain Marco GUERRIERO.

During the ship’s stay in Sri Lanka, the Commanding Officer of ‘ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi’ is scheduled to call on the Commander Western Naval Area.

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England Women appoint Leah Poulton as managing director

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/9

Priyan

Leah Poulton will become Managing Director, England Women [Cricinfo]

Leah Poulton the former Australia batter turned coach and administrator, will join England Women as managing director, succeeding Clare Connor.

Poulton will be charged with overseeing the success of the international team and pathways after the ECB cited her “impressive track record driving women’s cricket forward in Australia”.

Poulton earned 90 caps for Australia before retiring in 2015 and has spent the past six years as head of elite female cricket at Cricket New South Wales. There, she oversees cricket performance operations across two WBBL franchises, women’s state cricket and one of the world’s largest women’s cricket talent pathways.

Before that, she spent three years at Cricket Australia as a High Performance Coach, where she was instrumental in setting up Australia’s enviable women’s high-performance pathway, which included developing the Australia A and Under-19s women’s teams.

In her new role, she will be accountable for the performances of England Women, England Women A, England Women Under-19s and the overall women’s high-performance system.

Poulton will start in her new role in November with England set to host the Women’s Ashes next summer. She fills the role vacated by Connor, who announced earlier this year that she would be leaving the ECB after a career spanning 18 years, and will work closely with England Women’s head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

“I’m incredibly excited and honoured to be joining England, and to have the opportunity to help shape our programmes and, most importantly, invest in our people,” Poulton said. “I’m looking forward to working with Charlotte, Nat and the wider team, building on the strong foundations already in place and taking the programme forward.

“I know how vital strong pathways and a healthy domestic game are to sustained success, so I’m looking forward to connecting with people across the game and helping give the next generation of English players every opportunity to thrive. It’s a huge privilege to be part of England Women, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Richard Gould, the ECB’s CEO, said that with the senior women’s team had made under Edwards, appointed last year, and having reached the final of their recent home T20 World Cup, England Women were well placed for a successful era.

“I’m delighted to welcome Leah on board to help us build on this and take us to the next level,” Gould said. “She has a deep understanding of international cricket from her playing career and has built an impressive reputation in her time in administration.

“I believe she and Lottie will be a formidable combination, and will continue the team’s progress and development as we compete for the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy and Women’s Ashes in 2027.”

[Cricinfo]

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Avindu makes history with first World University gold for Sri Lanka

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/9

Priyan

University of Sri Jayewardenepura weightlifter Avindu Liyanagedara made history yesterday by becoming the first Sri Lankan university student to win a gold medal at a World University sports event, as Sri Lanka made a spectacular start to the 2026 World University Weightlifting Championship in Doha, Qatar.

‎Liyanagedara won the men’s 60kg title, while Sabaragamuwa University’s Nipun Dissanayake added a bronze medal in the 65kg category on the opening day of the championship.

‎Liyanagedara lifted 105kg in the snatch and 132kg in the clean and jerk for an impressive combined total of 237kg.

‎Spain’s Gomez Martinez took the silver with 228kg, while Chun-Yen Tang of Chinese Taipei won bronze with 227kg.

‎Dissanayake also secured a podium finish in the 65kg class with a total of 220kg, comprising a 100kg snatch and a 120kg clean and jerk.

‎Iran’s Mohhadov Tehran won the gold with 289kg, with Moldova’s Ion Badanev taking silver with 288kg.

‎Liyanagedara’s achievement represents a landmark breakthrough for Sri Lankan university sport. His gold is the first gold medal won by a Sri Lankan university student at a World University sports event, while Dissanayake’s bronze further strengthened the country’s historic opening-day showing.

‎The Sri Lanka University Sports Association has entered five male and two female athletes for the championship, with University of Colombo’s Sujan Walgampaya serving as team manager and coach.

‎The championship continues in Doha until September 12, with Sri Lanka already assured of a memorable place in the history of World University sport through Liyanagedara’s historic gold medal.