The Post (Wellington)

Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to a home crowd at the Naenae Community Centre on Wednesday night.Photo: Robert Kitchin / The Post Labour leader Chris Hipkins has told a home crowd he’s “just getting warmed up” in his first public meeting this election campaign. He drew a crowd of about 120 people ‒ and a pet cat ‒ at the Naenae Community Centre in Lower Hutt on Wednesday night.

An artist’s impression of the new medical school at Waikato University.Supplied Waikato University is asking for millions of dollars in ratepayer subsidies for its new medical school, but one Hamilton councillor says it is a central government issue and ratepayers should not foot the bill. The university wants Hamilton Council to waive more than $5 million in development contributions, which help pay for infrastructure. It has also asked the council to pitch in $250,000 a year for five years.

A motorboat travels past commercial vessels anchored amid haze in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on MondayPhoto: AP Middle East The US military said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers yesterdayy in response to the latest attacks on its warships and Tehran hit back at American targets in Jordan, the latest burst of back-and-forth strikes that have lurched the sides back toward open hostilities in a more than 6-month-old war.

“We will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution,” he said. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the “despicable” move. He said Israel would expel UK representatives from a joint military centre monitoring the Gaza ceasefire and end UK training of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces in the West Bank.

Five people died when this Amazon cargo plane overshot a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday.AP United States The five people killed when an Amazon cargo jet ran off the runway at Miami International Airport were all inside a van used to shuttle crews that clean planes, authorities said. The jet overran the runway while landing on Sunday. It slammed into the van on airport property, careened through a fence and then smashed an SUV on a city street. Five other people were injured.

United Kingdom Prince George made a smart impression on his first day at Eton yesterday. George, 13, was joined by his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, at the start of his first term at the boarding school, where fees cost more than £65,000 (NZ$150,000) per year.

Royal Australian Air Force pilot Mark Biele says they train everyday to cope with conditions like extreme G-force when flying the F-35A.Adele Rycroft / Manawatū Standard An experienced aviator in charge of flying an aircraft so fast it can break the speed of sound says the most thrilling part about being a pilot is the people he gets to work with.

Hundreds of public service workers strike today outside Parliament to protest low wages, and work conditions.ROBERT KITCHIN / THE POST Hundreds of people gathered outside Parliament in what is being described as the biggest strike in the core public service in decades, demanding pay rises that keep pace with the cost of living.

Public service workers on strike in Te Marae o Hine-The Square in Palmerston North on Wednesday.George Heagney / Manawatū Standard Public servants have walked off the job, calling for a better pay offer from the Government. About 10,000 Public Service Association union members across the country went on strike on Wednesday afternoon, following a lag in pay bargaining.

Candidates for the Palmerston North seat speak at an event run by the Palmerston North Residents Group.