Vienna, Aug. 22 : New Zealand diplomats are said to have played a major role in attempting to block a nuclear deal between India and the United States late on Thursday night.

Wellington’s stance over the deal has won front-page headlines in the Indian media. The 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which includes New Zealand, was meant to have approved the deal, but no consensus was reached yesterday, Fairfax News reports.

New Zealand, Austria, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland have the power to block NSG approval for India.

New Zealand is refusing to accept the deal on the ground that India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). India, on the other hand, wants a waiver from the rule.

Wellington  - New Zealand and Australia have contingency plans to evacuate their citizens from Fiji in an emergency, New Zealand's defence minister said Friday as the Pacific island state's military leader warned his people of hard times ahead.

Minister Phil Goff confirmed after talks with his Australian counterpart, Joel Fitzgibbon, in Wellington the existence of a joint plan to evacuate their people from Fiji if the security situation deteriorated and they were in danger.

"We don't expect the situation to deteriorate," he told reporters, "but we would be remiss in our duty not to have a plan in place."

Wellington, August 20 : Scientists in New Zealand are working on robots that can perform a host of doctors’ duties like measuring blood pressure, helping patients who fall over, carrying out ward rounds, and keeping older folk company.

Auckland University has opened a new joint-venture robotics laboratory with Korean scientists for the purpose.

At the opening of the laboratory in Auckland, a robot took Research, Science and Technology Minister Pete Hodgson’s blood pressure.

The laboratory has been made for the purpose of adapting robot technology already developed by Korean researchers, and westernising it so that the machines could speak and recognise English.

Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said Wednesday the situation in Fiji, whose military ruler has boycotted a regional summit meeting, was like Zimbabwe in the lead-up to its suspension from the British Commonwealth.

Clark was talking to reporters at the opening of the annual meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum in Niue, which Fiji strongman Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama refused to attend after backing down on a promise he gave his colleagues last year to hold fresh elections by next March.

Wellington - Thousands of spectators turned out to watch about 30 topless women take part in a so-called Boobs on Bikes parade through Auckland's main street on Wednesday after a judge rejected a city council bid to stop it.

The council failed Tuesday to get a court injunction to stop the parade organised by a self-confessed pornography baron, with Judge Nicola Mather saying it may be tasteless but "in a mature society the vast majority might consider it harmless."

Wellington - New Zealand is experiencin