In Tray

America counts cost of weather bomb

DALLAS, TEXAS, April 9, 2012:  Flight cancelations at Dallas-Fort Wroth International Airport dragged on today as dozens of hail-damaged planes remained out of service in the wake of last week's powerful storm that brought tornadoes to the region.

As Texans continued to pic up the pieces, however, New Zealand's Labour MP Jacinda Ardern (pictured) spoke about the moment a tornado passed over the same airport she was also in at the moment the destruction struck. She said she had an "anxious" wait at Dallas-Fort Worth while sirens were wailing and travellers sheltered in bathroom as the first of the tornadoes tore through the city.

"One went straight over the top of us - there was a pretty big roar and hail stones," said the rising political star.

Ms Ardern has been in Texas to attend an international leadership programme on US foreign policy. She added, "This wasn't part of the programme."

Society to blame for UK riots - Labour MP

LONDON, April 10, 2012:  As the sentencing of high-profile looters arrested during last year's riots continued in the British capital, so has the debate over the root causes of the worst social unrest seen in the city for a generation.

Labour MP Jacinda Ardern (pictured), who was in Europe on a working visit at the time of the riots, also emphasised that the chaos carried a message for New Zealand policymakers.

"No political or community based leader ever wishes to be seen to condone such blatant acts of violence or vandalism, but equally, what kind of leader are you if you refuse to ak the question Why?," she said.

"The same can be said when it comes to examining crime, and the causes of crime, in New Zealand.

North Korea braces for fallout

PYONGYANG, April 11, 2012:  North Korean space officials said today that the rocket built to carry a satellite into space was ready for liftoff.

The move looks set to provoke a tough response from Washington, which sees the move as a military provocation.

Striking an unexpectedly conciliatory note, however, was visiting Labour Party MP Jacinda Ardern (pictured), who has been on a fact-finding camper van tour of the DMZ, and who today called for calm between the two Koreas.

"These issues won't be resolved," the popular MP said in a txt sent from the peninsula, "until the underlying geopolitical matters are fully addressed."

Paid parental leave threat

WELLINGTON, April 12, 2012:  A proposal to extend paid parental leave may have enough support to pass Parliament's first hurdle but the government has threanted to block it by using its power to veto costly policies it does not support.

Finance Minister Bill English said while New Zealanders could "agree with the principle of supporting parents and young children ... we're still $10 billion away from clearing our overdraft."

That explanation did not sit well with at least one visiting politician (pictured).

"Any veto would reflect poorly on a country that I have come to love during my all-too-brief visit," said Jacinda Ardern.

The critic said she would raise her concerns when she met for the first time with members of the New Zealand Labour Party.

Life on Mars?

WASHINGTON DC, April 13, 2012:  Declaring a corner had been turned in space exploration, NASA officials today lauded what many believe to be the first documented signe of life on Mars.

Appearing at a press conference in the American at a press conference in the American capital, the agency's head scientist, Eric E Pipesucker III, unveiled recent photographs of the Red Planet showing "unambigous" proof of activity on the planet - a view also supported by Labour MP Jacinda Ardern (pictured), who recently visited Mars as part of a Fullbright-sponsored ... [That's enough about Jacinda's travels - Editor]