NZ PM Jacinda Ardern to marry long-time partner
Wellington, May 3: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her long-term partner Clarke Gayford have become engaged to be married, her office said Friday.
A spokesman for Ardern and Gayford said the couple, who have a baby daughter Neve, agreed to tie the knot over the Easter break.
He could not reveal whether a date for the prime ministerial nuptials had been set or who had proposed to whom.
"I can't say anything about it other than they are engaged and it happened over Easter," the spokesman told AFP.
Ardern, 38, had Neve last June, becoming only the second prime minister in the world to give birth while in office and later taking the infant onto the floor of the UN Assembly in New York.
Since the birth, Gayford, a television fishing show host, has taken on the role of stay-at-home dad.
The engagement comes after a trying time for Ardern, who has been widely praised for her response to the March 15 Christchurch mosque shootings that claimed the lives of 51 Muslim worshippers.
Ardern said in an interview last year that she would not propose to Gayford, even though she regards herself as a feminist.
"I want to put him through the pain and torture of having to agonise about that question himself," she told the BBC.
News of the engagement broke after journalists noticed Ardern was wearing a diamond ring while carrying out her duties on Friday.
However, there have been at least two false alarms in the past when Ardern has been spotted sporting bling on her ring finger.
On both occasions she quashed the speculation, saying she had to constantly swap her rings between fingers on her left hand due to eczema.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
US Consulate in Dubai reportedly attacked
Dubai: Smoke was seen rising from an area near the United States Consulate in Dubai, according to witness accounts cited by Reuters.
There was no immediate official confirmation on the extent of damage or whether there were any casualties in the incident.
Earlier, the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, was also attacked. Authorities reported damage to the premises, but no casualties were recorded.
The developments come amid heightened tensions in the region, with Iran continuing to target US interests in the Middle East following deadly attacks launched on Saturday by Israel and the United States.
Near US embassy in Dubai pic.twitter.com/z5VTZNVxNO
— Sahil Shah (@thesahilsshah) March 3, 2026
