New Zealand PM gives birth to baby girl
Wellington, June 21 : New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave birth to a baby girl on Thursday, the first world leader in nearly 30 years to have a child while in office.
In a post on her official Instagram account, Ardern said the baby arrived at 4.45 p.m. and weighed 3.31 kg, CNN reported.
"Thank you so much for your best wishes and your kindness. We're all doing really well thanks to the wonderful team at Auckland City Hospital," she said in her post.
Ardern, 37, was admitted to the hospital earlier in the day. Her expected due date had been June 17.
She was elected in October and had announced her pregnancy in January via Instagram.
"Clarke and I are really excited that in June our team will expand from two to three, and that we'll be joining the many parents out there who wear two hats," Ardern said in the post.
Excitement and anticipation had been building over the last few days, with many media outlets setting up live blogs to track the latest developments.
Jessie Chiang, a New Zealand Radio reporter, tweeted that she and other journalists had been at the hospital since 6 a.m. "No baby yet...but they are feeding the media," she wrote.
Another outlet even put together a baby-themed playlist to "help bring her bub into the world".
New Zealanders also speculated over the baby's gender and name. One Twitter user joked on Thursday: "If it's a boy I'm going with Winston Michael Joseph Peter Norman David David David Phillip Andrew Gayford Ardern."
However, the baby has a higher chance of being named Oliver or Jack -- the two most common baby boy names of 2017. If it's a girl, it might be Charlotte or Harper, the most common girl names, the CNN said.
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Liquor manufactures can sell liquor on tetra packs in Odisha: Minister
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Odisha Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Friday said the government has allowed the sale of liquor on tetra packets with certain criteria in its new Excise Policy for 2026-29.
Speaking to media persons here, Harichandan said selling liquor in tetra packs was there in the state's excise policy since 2014. However, it is not yet made available in the Odisha market, he said.
"If any licensed liquor manufacturer or vendor wants to produce or sell the liquor on tetra pack, they can do it. The government will not restrict them," he clarified.
The state government is giving priority for proper regulation of manufacturing and selling of liquor in the state, the minister added.
"We just ensure that there is no illegal sale of liquor in the state," he stated.
As per the new Excise Policy, which came into force from April 1, India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) manufacturers can supply their products in tetra packaging and in glass bottles in specified sizes. Only 180 ml can be supplied in tetra packs.
The tetra packs must have six protective layers and must have the shelf life or the date fit for consumption clearly mentioned on the packaging, the policy guidelines said.
Before using the tetra packs for packaging of liquor, the manufacturing units must take certification from the Central Food Technology Research Institute or Indian Institute of Packaging, or any such institute as notified by the excise commissioner, it said.
Earlier, opposition leaders had demanded the rollback of the government's decision to introduce the sale of liquor in tetra packs, calling the move "unethical" and "anti-youth".
