Luxon dismissed suggestions of dissent within his party, telling a press conference he remained confident of continued backing from lawmakers. “I talk to my caucus all the time. I’m very confident I have the full support of my caucus,” he said, adding that his government would be re-elected if a vote were held immediately.

The comments follow a report by the New Zealand Herald that some National Party members could move against Luxon when parliament reconvenes, although the report indicated that any initial effort was unlikely to take the form of a formal leadership challenge or confidence vote.

The developments come amid weakening polling numbers for the ruling coalition. Several recent surveys have shown the National Party struggling to secure more than 30% support, raising concerns about its ability to retain power in the next general election scheduled for November 7.Luxon’s personal approval ratings have also come under pressure.

A March RNZ-Reid Research poll showed opposition leader Chris Hipkins leading preferred prime minister rankings with 20.7% support, compared with 17.3% for Luxon.

The polling trends underscore growing political headwinds for the government as it approaches the election cycle, with voter sentiment indicating a tightening contest between the incumbent coalition and the opposition bloc.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall and winds of up to 130 km/h (80 mph), raising concerns about flooding and damage in the country’s most populous urban area. Weather officials said the system is likely to make its closest approach on Sunday.

Cyclone Vaianu is then forecast to track west of the Chatham Islands on Monday, though its impact could still be felt across parts of the region.

Emergency authorities have urged residents in vulnerable areas to follow evacuation instructions and prepare for severe weather conditions as the storm system intensifies.

Surging global fuel prices are placing mounting pressure on households and small businesses across continents, with workers and entrepreneurs reporting rising costs, shrinking incomes and difficult trade-offs in daily life.

On a small dairy farm north of Auckland in New Zealand, a farmer managing 200 cows said higher diesel and petrol costs are eroding already tight margins. The farm consumes around 900 litres of diesel and up to 300 litres of petrol each month to operate tractors, machinery and quad bikes. Recent price increases have added more than NZ$1,200 to monthly expenses, translating to over NZ$15,000 annually.

The farmer said the burden extends beyond direct fuel use. Contractors charge more for their services and fertiliser prices have risen by about 40%, compounding operational costs. With commodity prices largely dictated by markets, the farmer said there is little scope to pass on higher costs, forcing decisions to delay maintenance and investment.

In Port Vila, bus driver Daniel Thomas described similar pressures in the transport sector. Driving from early morning until late evening, he earns about A$120 a day but expects that rising fuel prices could reduce his take-home income significantly. With vehicles requiring frequent refuelling and air-conditioning essential in tropical temperatures, Thomas said higher costs may force drivers to raise fares despite concerns about passenger affordability.

Across Vanuatu, many drivers are servicing loans on their vehicles, increasing financial vulnerability. Thomas said without fare increases, drivers may struggle to meet repayments, highlighting the limited options available to absorb cost shocks.In South Korea, the response has included policy measures to reduce fuel consumption.

Kim Hooin, a public sector worker commuting from Cheongju to Sejong, said mandatory vehicle restrictions introduced in late March have altered daily routines. Under the system, government employees are prohibited from driving one day a week based on licence plate numbers, encouraging greater use of public transport.

Kim said he now takes the bus daily, extending his commute time but reducing fuel expenses. At work, he manages government vehicles and said usage is being tightly controlled, with electric vehicles prioritised where possible. The government has also promoted broader energy-saving measures, including reduced water and electricity use, framing the campaign as a collective response to economic pressures.

In rural Surin Province, small-scale trader Teerayut Ruenrerng said fuel shortages and price increases have disrupted both supply chains and daily operations. Running a mobile grocery business, he often visits multiple fuel stations to secure limited quantities of diesel. Inconsistent access has made it difficult to plan routes and maintain regular sales.

Ruenrerng said rising input costs, including higher prices for meat, produce and packaging, have reduced profits by up to 20%. Supply disruptions mean that orders are frequently only partially fulfilled, forcing adjustments to inventory and pricing. He has increased some retail prices but said doing so risks losing customers in already constrained markets.

In Tokyo, Koichi Matsumoto, who operates a traditional bathhouse established by his family in the 1930s, said energy costs are a growing concern. Although the business switched from oil to gas five years ago, heating expenses remain high and are expected to increase further if global energy markets tighten.

Bathhouse operators face additional constraints, including regulated pricing set by local authorities. Matsumoto said admission fees cannot be raised freely, limiting the ability to offset rising costs. With declining customer numbers and ageing infrastructure, he said many similar establishments are weighing whether to continue operating.

In Sydney, interior designer Belinda Morgan said uncertainty linked to global energy markets is affecting demand in the construction sector. She said projects have slowed as clients delay spending decisions, prompting her to seek additional work and cut household expenses.

The family is reassessing routine activities, including discretionary travel, to conserve fuel and money.In Delhi, warehouse worker Rajesh Singh described a more acute impact, with rising cooking gas prices and food inflation forcing him to reduce meals. Earning about 12,000 rupees per month, he said essential expenses including rent and food have surged, leaving little room for savings. He reported eating once a day in recent weeks and borrowing money to manage basic needs.

Singh said several colleagues have already left the city due to rising costs, and he is considering returning to his home village if conditions do not improve. The situation reflects broader pressures on low-income urban workers facing simultaneous increases in energy, housing and food prices.

In Beijing, taxi driver Cui Xinming said fuel price increases have added to the strain of long working hours. Driving up to 12 hours a day, he said rising costs are a concern but expressed confidence in government measures to stabilise prices. He noted that China’s investment in alternative energy and electric vehicles could reduce reliance on oil over time.

Cui said he is considering leaving the profession due to fatigue and changing economic conditions, highlighting how cost pressures are influencing career decisions in addition to daily finances.

Across regions, the accounts point to a common pattern: rising fuel costs are feeding through supply chains, increasing the price of goods and services while compressing incomes. For many, the adjustments involve reducing consumption, raising prices where possible, or reconsidering long-term plans in an increasingly uncertain economic environment.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) spokeswoman in an email said the people were met by a New Zealand consular team and provided with support.

The Middle Eastern territory has been bombarded by Israeli forces since early last month in retaliation for an attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Gaza’s border authority announced that the Rafah land crossing into Egypt would reopen on Sunday for foreign passport holders after being closed on Friday.

The MFAT spokeswoman said New Zealand is working around the clock to get its remaining citizens and permanent residents out of Gaza.

New Zealand last week said it was working with 21 New Zealanders, family members and permanent residents to help them leave Gaza.

A gunman broadcast live footage on Facebook of the attack on one mosque in the city of Christchurch, mirroring the carnage played out in video games, after publishing a “manifesto” in which he denounced immigrants.

New Zealand was placed on its highest security threat level, Adern said, adding that four people in police custody, three men and one woman, held extremist views but had not been on any police watchlists.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush said 49 people had been killed at two mosques and one man in his late 20s charged with murder.

“It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,” Ardern said.

The video footage widely circulated on social media, apparently taken by a gunman and posted online live as the attack unfolded, showed him driving to one mosque, entering it and shooting randomly at people inside.

Worshippers, possibly dead or wounded, lay huddled on the floor, the video showed. Reuters was unable to confirm the authenticity of the footage.

One man who said he was at the Al Noor mosque told media the gunman was white, blond and wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest. The man burst into the mosque as worshippers were kneeling for prayers.

“He had a big gun … he came and started shooting everyone in the mosque, everywhere,” said the man, Ahmad Al-Mahmoud. He said he and others escaped by breaking through a glass door.

An anonymous post on Friday on the discussion site 8chan, known for a wide range of content including hate speech, said the writer was going to “carry out an attack against the invaders”, and included links to a Facebook live stream, in which the Friday shooting appeared, and a manifesto.

The manifesto cited “white genocide”, a term typically used by racist groups to refer to immigration and the growth of minority populations, as his motivation.

The Facebook link directed users to the page of a user called brenton.tarrant.9.

A Twitter account with the handle @brentontarrant posted on Wednesday images of a rifle and other military gear decorated with names and messages connected to white nationalism. What looked like the same weapons appeared in the livestream of the mosque attack on Friday.

Darkest Day

It was not immediately clear if the attacks were carried out by the same man.

“This is one of New Zealand’s darkest days,” Adern said.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said one of the men in custody was Australian.

All mosques in New Zealand had been asked to shut their doors, police said.

Muslims account for just over 1 percent of New Zealand’s population, a 2013 census showed.

‘The firing went on and on’

The online footage, which appeared to have been captured on a camera strapped to the gunman’s head, showed him driving as music played in his vehicle. After parking, he took two guns and walked a short distance to the mosque where he opened fire.

Over the course of five minutes, he repeatedly shot worshippers, leaving more than a dozen bodies in one room alone. He returned to the car during that period to change guns, and went back to the mosque to shoot anyone showing signs of life.

One man, with blood still on his shirt, said in a television interview that he hid from the gunman under a bench and prayed that he would run out of bullets.

“I was just praying to God and hoping our God, please, let this guy stop” Mahmood Nazeer told TVNZ.

“The firing went on and on. One person with us had a bullet in her arm. When the firing stopped, I looked over the fence, there was one guy, changing his gun.”

The video shows the gunman then driving off at high speed and firing from his car. Another video, taken by someone else, showed police apprehending the gunman on a pavement by a road.

Police said improvised explosive devices were found with a vehicle they stopped. The gunman’s video had shown red petrol canisters in the back of his car, along with weapons.

The Bangladesh cricket team is in Christchurch to play New Zealand in a third cricket test starting on Saturday.

“They were on the bus, which was just pulling up to the mosque when the shooting begun,” Mario Villavarayen, team strength and conditioning coach, told Reuters in a message. “They are shaken but good.”

The third cricket test was cancelled, New Zealand Cricket said later.

Violent crime is rare in New Zealand and police do not usually carry guns.

Before Friday, New Zealand’s worst mass shooting was in 1990 when a gun-mad loner killed 13 men, women and children in a 24-hour rampage in the tiny seaside village of Aramoana. He was killed by police. — HuffingtonPost