US Marines to visit New Zealand next year (AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – U.S. Marines will visit New Zealand next year for the first time in at least 25 years, a sign of continuing thawing in the countries' military relations.

Prime Minister John Key made the announcement after visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Washington on Thursday.

The Marines' visit will mark the 70th anniversary of their arrival in New Zealand to offer military support during World War II in case of an attack in the South Pacific. Key has also invited the U.S. Coast Guard to send a ship.

Military relations between the countries soured 25 years ago when New Zealand banned nuclear weapons from the country, preventing U.S. warships from visiting. Relations have improved in recent years, and New Zealand special forces have been active in Afghanistan.

The nuclear weapons ban is popular among the general public in New Zealand but remains a sticking point for the U.S. in resuming a full military relationship.

Among the details yet to be worked out for next year's visit are the number of Marines, how many will be veterans and how many active service, and whether they will arrive by plane or ship.

Stephen Hoadley, an associate professor of political studies and a foreign policy specialist at the University of Auckland, said the visit will "resonate very favorably" with older New Zealanders, some of whom remember the Marines' arrival in 1942.

"It was a tremendous emotional event," said Hoadley, noting that New Zealanders felt an enormous sense of relief at the U.S. presence.

Even then there were tensions, however, and in 1943 a riot involving more than 1,000 troops broke out in Wellington between American and New Zealand servicemen.

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No free ride home for penguin lost in New Zealand (AP)

PEKA PEKA BEACH, New Zealand – There will be no free ride back to Antarctica for a young penguin who defied the odds by swimming all the way to New Zealand. The trip could spread infections, authorities say, and there's no way to transport the animal this time of year.

Wildlife officials said Wednesday they will let "nature take its course" after the Emperor penguin ended up on picturesque Peka Peka Beach on New Zealand's North Island — 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from Antarctic waters — in the country's first sighting of the bird in the wild in 44 years.

The penguin could have caught a disease by swimming through warmer climes, and wildlife officials would not want to be responsible for introducing illnesses into the insulated Antarctic penguin colony, said Peter Simpson, a program manager for New Zealand's Department of Conservation.

Then there are the logistics.

Right now, it is dark almost 24 hours a day in Antarctica. Virtually no one travels there this time of year, Simpson said, and even if they did, there would be no simple way to transport and cool a bird that stands almost three 3 feet (1 meter) high and is well insulated with fat.

Wildlife officials say the penguin has been eating wet sand, likely mistaking it for snow, and Simpson said its plight has sparked entreaties from around the world asking New Zealand to help the penguin get home since it was spotted by a resident on Monday.

"We are going to let nature take its course," he said. "It roamed here naturally. What is wrong with that?"

Simpson said he hopes the bird will find its own way back — particularly as it starts to become hungry. The penguin appears healthy and well fed, he added, and may not need another meal for several weeks.

The unusual bird attracted all sorts of attention at the beach Wednesday. School groups visited, television crews took footage, and onlookers snapped photos and even sketched it.

The penguin has been resting on the sand throughout the day but apparently has been taking to the water at night, Simpson said.

Experts don't know if the bird is a male or female — because the two sexes are almost indistinguishable among Emperor penguins.

The tallest and largest species of penguin, Emperors typically spend their entire lives in Antarctica. Their amazing journey to breeding grounds deep in the Antarctic was chronicled in the 2005 documentary "March of the Penguins," which highlighted their ability to survive — and breed — despite the region's brutal winter.

Christine Wilton was walking her dog Monday when she discovered the bird and called conservation authorities. She said it seemed a little more lethargic Wednesday than earlier in the week but was still alert and appeared unfazed by all the attention.

"It looks really grand when it stands up," she said. "I hope it stays safe, I really do, because it is just too precious."

Estimated to be about 10 months old, the penguin probably was born during the last Antarctic winter and may have been searching for squid and krill when it got lost, experts said.

Emperors can grow up to 4 feet (122 centimeters) tall and weigh more than 75 pounds (34 kilograms) . They can spend months at a time in the ocean. It's unclear how this one became disoriented, but it likely came ashore for a rest, said Colin Miskelly, a curator at Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand.

It needs to find its way south to cooler waters if it is to survive. He said Emperor penguins can drink salt water, but eat snow in the winter to hydrate themselves.

The last confirmed sighting of a wild Emperor in New Zealand was in 1967 at the southern Oreti Beach, Simpson said.

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No free ride home for penguin lost in New Zealand (AP)

PEKA PEKA BEACH, New Zealand – There will be no free ride back to Antarctica for a young penguin who defied the odds by swimming all the way to New Zealand. The trip could spread infections, authorities say, and there's no way to transport the animal this time of year.

Wildlife officials said Wednesday they will let "nature take its course" after the Emperor penguin ended up on picturesque Peka Peka Beach on New Zealand's North Island — 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from Antarctic waters — in the country's first sighting of the bird in the wild in 44 years.

The penguin could have caught a disease by swimming through warmer climes, and wildlife officials would not want to be responsible for introducing illnesses into the insulated Antarctic penguin colony, said Peter Simpson, a program manager for New Zealand's Department of Conservation.

Then there are the logistics.

Right now, it is dark almost 24 hours a day in Antarctica. Virtually no one travels there this time of year, Simpson said, and even if they did, there would be no simple way to transport and cool a bird that stands almost three 3 feet (1 meter) high and is well insulated with fat.

Wildlife officials say the penguin has been eating wet sand, likely mistaking it for snow, and Simpson said its plight has sparked entreaties from around the world asking New Zealand to help the penguin get home since it was spotted by a resident on Monday.

"We are going to let nature take its course," he said. "It roamed here naturally. What is wrong with that?"

Simpson said he hopes the bird will find its own way back — particularly as it starts to become hungry. The penguin appears healthy and well fed, he added, and may not need another meal for several weeks.

The unusual bird attracted all sorts of attention at the beach Wednesday. School groups visited, television crews took footage, and onlookers snapped photos and even sketched it.

The penguin has been resting on the sand throughout the day but apparently has been taking to the water at night, Simpson said.

Experts don't know if the bird is a male or female — because the two sexes are almost indistinguishable among Emperor penguins.

The tallest and largest species of penguin, Emperors typically spend their entire lives in Antarctica. Their amazing journey to breeding grounds deep in the Antarctic was chronicled in the 2005 documentary "March of the Penguins," which highlighted their ability to survive — and breed — despite the region's brutal winter.

Christine Wilton was walking her dog Monday when she discovered the bird and called conservation authorities. She said it seemed a little more lethargic Wednesday than earlier in the week but was still alert and appeared unfazed by all the attention.

"It looks really grand when it stands up," she said. "I hope it stays safe, I really do, because it is just too precious."

Estimated to be about 10 months old, the penguin probably was born during the last Antarctic winter and may have been searching for squid and krill when it got lost, experts said.

Emperors can grow up to 4 feet (122 centimeters) tall and weigh more than 75 pounds (34 kilograms) . They can spend months at a time in the ocean. It's unclear how this one became disoriented, but it likely came ashore for a rest, said Colin Miskelly, a curator at Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand.

It needs to find its way south to cooler waters if it is to survive. He said Emperor penguins can drink salt water, but eat snow in the winter to hydrate themselves.

The last confirmed sighting of a wild Emperor in New Zealand was in 1967 at the southern Oreti Beach, Simpson said.

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Strong quakes again rock shaken New Zealand city (AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Strong aftershocks rattled New Zealand's quake-devastated city of Christchurch again Monday, toppling one of the few buildings still standing downtown and sinking thousands of homes into darkness.

Bricks crashed down in the cordoned-off city center, where only workers have tread since it was devastated in February's major earthquake. About 200 people were there when the quakes struck Monday, and two were briefly trapped in a church. More than 40 people have been taken to hospitals with minor injuries from falling debris, the city council said.

"We are being enveloped with dust," Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker told New Zealand's National Radio. "It is very, very scary."

All across the city, people fled buildings in panic when a 5.2-magnitude quake struck during lunchtime; just over an hour later, a 6.0 hit, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Smaller quakes were also recorded.

Several buildings were damaged in the central city and suburbs.

"All the shops have fallen down," said Renee Murray, who works at a Domino's Pizza in a suburb. "Half of the roof has fallen in (but) they have not fully collapsed."

Thousands of aftershocks have followed the 6.3-magnitude quake that killed 181 people on Feb. 22. That tremor and its aftershocks have been very shallow, which along with proximity to the city, have made them very destructive. Monday's temblors were six miles (10 kilometers) deep, according to the USGS.

About 47,000 homes in the city's eastern suburbs were without power Monday night, when temperatures were expected to approach freezing. Rocks tumbled down hills in the area, which was among the hardest hit in February, and silt bubbled from the earth — a process known as liquefaction that sometimes happens during a quake.

After the February quake, 300,000 tons of silt had to be scraped away, and the silt alone made thousands of homes uninhabitable.

On one road Monday, an SUV tipped front-first into a sinkhole that opened in the asphalt. A police car sank into another.

Roger Sutton, chief executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, said the extra damage to the city center means some buildings that had been salvageable "are now seriously damaged and will have to be brought down."

The group's demolition manager "was driving (during the 6.0 quake), and there were buildings coming down in front of him, coming down behind him," Sutton said. "He's very lucky to be alive."

Two people who were injured were salvaging windows from St. John's Church when the facade, the last wall standing after February's quake, collapsed. Police said they were rescued and taken to a hospital with cuts and bruises.

Another building nearby fell, according to police, and the dean of Christchurch Cathedral said the collapsed building suffered new damage.

"This has been a setback for Christchurch and its people, but it does not lessen our resolve to rebuild," Prime Minister John Key told reporters. "The people of Christchurch should know all New Zealanders are thinking of them and will continue to support and stand by them in this very difficult time."

New Zealand's earthquake monitoring service GNS Science said Monday's quakes were within a predicted range but are likely to trigger new aftershocks themselves.

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N. Zealand drops sanctions for Zimbabwe cricket tour (AFP)

WELLINGTON (AFP) – The New Zealand government has approved a tour by the Zimbabwe cricket team, saying Sunday it would waive travel sanctions on teams from the African nation.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to play in New Zealand next year for the first time in 11 years and Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the government would not block the tour.

Sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe several years ago to express opposition to alleged human rights abuses by the government of Robert Mugabe.

McCully said visas would be granted to the cricketers and management conditional on the situation in Zimbabwe "not deteriorating in a significant way."

A proposed tour of New Zealand by Zimbabwe in 2005 was cancelled when the government refused to grant the players visas.

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