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22 Jan 2025

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Netflix to raise prices as new subscribers soar
Squid Game and live sports, including the Jake Paul v Mike Tyson fight, fuelled new memberships.

Restricted fire season for coastal zone
Hot temperatures, wind and no rain recently has led to dry conditions.

Putin’s ‘not doing so well,’ says Trump in unusually critical remarks
US President Donald Trump has told reporters Russian President Vladimir Putin should make a deal to end the war with Ukraine and that he was destroying Russia by not doing so.

Men accused of Napier murder also charged with assaulting another man and stealing his shoes
Before the alleged murder, the men had attacked and robbed another homeless man, police say.

Euthanisa being considered after whales restrand again
The pod of 11 whales first stranded on Monday, and have since beached again multiple times.

Blenheim Noel Leeming to cut the ribbon on new store
The store will open its new Westwood site on February 5, joining several other big retailers at the business park.

Last chance to see rare Atlas comet over New Zealand's skies
It last passed nearby 180,000 years ago and the next few nights could be your last chance to ever see it as it drifts over New Zealand skies.

Woman endured years of abuse from her partner before murder-suicide in Auckland
Toakase Finau was found dead in the boot of her own car in March 2021 while police were doing a routine bail check.

Netflix’s latest price hike: Well, this is a first
We’re getting used to Netflix hiking its prices on a regular basis, and this time, it’s raising the price on nearly all its plans, including a first-ever price increase for Netflix’s newest tier. Starting now, Netflix Standard with ads will cost new subscribers $7.99 a month in the U.S., a buck-a-month increase over its previous $6.99/month level, according to Deadline. This is the first time Netflix’s Standard with ads plan has gotten a price hike. That’s not all. The ad-free Standard plan is also getting a price hike to $17.99 a month, up from $15.49 a month, while the 4K-enabled Premium plan will now be a whopping $24.99/month, a $2-a-month increase over the tier’s former $22.99/month price. The only Netflix plan that isn’t going up is Netflix’s “extra member” offering, which lets you share your account with someone outside your household for $6.99 a month, Deadline notes. The last time Netflix raised U.S. subscription prices was in October 2023, when it hiked Premium prices to $22.99 a month (a $3-a-month increase) but left its Standard and Standard with ads plans alone. Besides the U.S., Netflix is also raising prices in Canada, Portugal, and Argentina, according to Deadline. Originally called “Basic with ads,” Netflix rolled out its Standard with ads tier back in 2022, as the streamer was struggling to come back from a spate of subscriber losses earlier that year. The launch price for Standard with ads was $6.99 a month, a bargain compared to the rapidly increasing prices of its ad-free tiers, particularly the Premium plan. While today’s price increase for Standard with ads marks the first price hike for the plan, it surely won’t be the last. Netflix’s regular price increases might be grating for subscribers, but Netflix itself is making a killing. Reporting its fourth-quarter 2024 earnings on Tuesday, Netflix said it had snared a record number of subscribers for the period, thanks in no small part to the new season of Squid Game, as noted by Bloomberg. Also helping Netflix’s bottom line is the streamer’s crackdown on password sharing, which has been so successful that it’s being copied by Netflix’s biggest competitors, including Disney+ and Max.

'No chance of surviving' - 26-year-old dad killed falling into 'extremely hot thermal pool
The findings of the Coroner's inquiry into the disappearance of Matthew Tuimaualuga have been released today.

Serious crash near Temuka
Emergency services have responded to a serious crash between two vehicles near Temuka on Wednesday afternoon.

Teddy Swims: 'Every day I try to cry a little bit'
The Lose Control singer talks about masculine role models, becoming a father, and facing prejudice.

Claim the Kiribati Government ignores manifesto commitments
An opposition MP in Kiribati said the Budget did not include any funding for the commitments made in the president's manifesto.

Your favourite places in NZ to grab an ice cream
Naming NZ’s best ice cream shop is no easy task, so we’ve called upon readers to help out.

Armed police seen executing search warrant at Christchurch house
At least eight officers were seen moving on to the property and searching a Porsche and hatchback.

Six road deaths in Wellington region in 2024, lowest number in 34 years
Wellingtonians have had their lowest number of deaths on the roads across the region in the last 34 years.

LogicMonitor teams with OpenAI to enhance IT operations
LogicMonitor has unveiled a partnership with OpenAI to enhance its IT operations through advanced AI, aiming to redefine data centre management and efficiency.