Lately for Monday 21 February 2022

10:18 Scuffles at Wellington mandate protest

There have been scuffles between police and anti-mandate protesters outside Parliament tonight. A woman who tried to stop police bundling a man into a police van, threw a bottle of water at officers, setting off another skirmish between protesters and the police. The protesters then set off fireworks. Local resident Chris Roberts is close to the scene

Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver

10:25  EMA Chief Executive Brett O'Reilly

Today the Government threw a lifeline to businesses trying to keep their heads above water during the Omicron outbreak. Finance Minister Grant Robertson and the Revenue Minister David Parker announced targeted payments "to those most affected." The Chief Executive of the Employers and Manufacturers Association, Brett O'Reilly, responds to the government's latest package. 

Brett O'Riley is the CEO of the Employers and Manufacturers Association Photo: supplied

10:35 Kiwi still suffering from Omicron sounds warning

The Prime Minister says "it's likely that very soon we will all know people who have Covid, or we will potentially get it ourselves." She says there are three reasons that is no longer such a scary prospect. High vaccination rates, Omicron will be a mild to moderate illness and boosters make hospitalisation 10 times less likely. But Omicron still has the power to scare. A  New Zealander living in Hobart, Brad Sutherland, caught the virus at the start of February and is still feeling its effects.

Photo: Supplied

10:45 Will summit avert war in Ukraine?

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed in principle to a summit over Ukraine. French President Macron says both leaders have agreed 'in principle' to a summit over the crisis in Ukraine. In the past two days politicians in the US and UK have feared a Russian invasion is imminent. Rich Preston is a foreign news journalist at BBC World and provides the latest update. 

Photo: AFP