By CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A seal walked into a bar. Or to use a technical term, it galumphed.

Related Articles

WhatsApp faces European antitrust investigation over artificial intelligence

Trump hosts the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to sign a key deal for peace in eastern Congo

Olympic flame for Milan Cortina Winter Games arrives in Italy following handover in Greece

Putin says there are points he can’t agree to in the US proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

Today in History: December 4, ‘Pizzagate’ shooting

The creature was apparently lost, curious and well below New Zealand ’s legal drinking age. It lodged itself under the dishwasher and showed no interest in calling a cab.

It was a wet, lazy Sunday evening when the baby fur seal waddled into the Sprig + Fern The Meadows craft beer bar in Richmond, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Accustomed to seeing animals in the pet-friendly bar, co-owner Bella Evans assumed the visitor was a dog before she took a closer look.

“Everyone was in shock,” Evans said. “Oh my gosh. What do we do? What’s going on?”

A patron grabbed a sweater and tried to usher the seal out of the back door. Evading its pursuers, the creature dashed into a restroom and then hid under the dishwasher, which was swiftly unplugged.

Another customer fetched a dog crate from home, and Evans made a plan to lure the unruly visitor out of its hiding place using a pizza topping the pub was offering as a special.

“I just went to my fiancé, I said, grab the salmon! Grab the salmon!”

Then it was a brief wait for conservation rangers to arrive. It turned out they were already tracking the wandering seal.

“It was their fourth call for the day,” Evans said. “They had been driving around this new-build subdivision trying to find this baby seal.”

This security footage provided by Sprig + Fern The Meadows, shows a seal walking inside bar in Richmond, New Zealand, on Nov. 30, 2025. (Sprig + Fern The Meadows via AP)

New Zealand’s conservation agency confirmed it received “numerous” reports from the public about a seal spotted in Richmond on Sunday before the fugitive turned up at the pub. Bar staff “did a great job keeping the seal safe” until rangers arrived, said Department of Conservation spokesperson Helen Otley.

The seal was released on nearby Rabbit Island, considered a safe location because of its dog-free status, Otley said. It’s not unusual for curious young seals to show up in unexpected places at this time of year, she added, as they follow rivers and streams up to 9 miles inland.

“They can turn up in unusual places, like this pub, but this is normal exploratory behavior,” Otley said.

Successful conservation programs in New Zealand have resulted in growing seal and sea lion populations, bringing them into closer contact with humans than before. Scientists refer to an annual “silly season” for both species, a period of months during which they regularly appear in strange places – houses, golf courses or busy roads.

Evans, who has owned the pub with her partner for just a few months, said the baby fur seal was the first unruly patron she’s had to evict. But she said the animal, named Fern by staff, was welcome back.

“There’s been the running joke that we’ve got the seal of approval,” she said.

Salmon will remain on the menu.

LONDON (AP) — Britain and Norway will mount joint naval patrols to protect undersea cables from Russia, the U.K. said Thursday, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre held talks on defense.

Related Articles

WhatsApp faces European antitrust investigation over artificial intelligence

Trump hosts the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to sign a key deal for peace in eastern Congo

Olympic flame for Milan Cortina Winter Games arrives in Italy following handover in Greece

Putin says there are points he can’t agree to in the US proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

Today in History: December 4, ‘Pizzagate’ shooting

The U.K. government says a combined fleet of at least 13 warships will “hunt Russian submarines and protect critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic.”

It follows a 10 billion pound ($13.4 billion) deal struck in August for Norway to buy at least five British-made frigates. Those Norwegian vessels and eight British ships will operate jointly in the seas along NATO’s northern flank.

As part of the agreement, formally signed Thursday in London by the two countries’ defense ministers, the U.K. has agreed to use Norwegian missiles for the Royal Navy’s surface fleet.

Starmer and Støre were scheduled to hold talks at the U.K. prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing St. before visiting British and Norwegian personnel at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, where they will meet aircraft crews that have been tracking Russian vessels. Britain says Russian naval activity around U.K. waters has increased by 30% in the past two years.

By ADE YUANDHA and NINIEK KARMINI

PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — The death toll from last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides in parts of Asia surged past 1,500 Thursday as rescue teams raced to reach survivors isolated by the disaster with hundreds of people still unaccounted for across the region.

Related Articles

WhatsApp faces European antitrust investigation over artificial intelligence

Trump hosts the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to sign a key deal for peace in eastern Congo

Olympic flame for Milan Cortina Winter Games arrives in Italy following handover in Greece

Putin says there are points he can’t agree to in the US proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

Today in History: December 4, ‘Pizzagate’ shooting

The latest figure came as meteorologists warned of renewed rainfall across North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh in coming days, sparking fears of further devastation in areas already reeling from deadly floods.

The tragedy was compounded by warnings that decades of deforestation caused by unchecked development, mining and palm oil plantations may have worsened the devastation. Calls grew for the government to act.

“We need the government to investigate and fix forest management,” said Rangga Adiputra, a 31-year-old teacher whose home in West Sumatra was swept away. The hills above his village on the outskirts of Padang city had been scarred by illegal logging.

“We don’t want this costly disaster to happen again,” he said.

Authorities said 836 people were confirmed dead in Indonesia, 479 in Sri Lanka and 185 in Thailand, as well as three in Malaysia.

Many villages in Indonesia and Sri Lanka remained buried under mud and debris, with 859 people still unaccounted for in both countries.

Thousands reportedly faced severe shortages of food and clean water in cut off areas. The floods and landslides washed away roads and bridges and knocked out telecommunications, leaving many communities inaccessible.

This aerial photo taken from a national disaster mitigation agency’s helicopter during an aerial aid distribution shows an area affected by floods in Pidie Jaya, Aceh province, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)

Indonesian television showed images of huge amounts of felled timber carried downstream in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh provinces.

The leading Indonesian environmental group WALHI said that decades of deforestation — driven by mining, palm oil plantations, and illegal logging — stripped away natural defenses that once absorbed rainfall and stabilized soil.

“The disaster was not just nature’s fury, it was amplified by decades of deforestation,” said Rianda Purba, an activist with the group. “Deforestation and unchecked development have stripped Sumatra of its resilience.”

The group recorded more than nearly 600,000 acres of primary forest were lost in 2024 alone, leaving Sumatra’s small river basins dangerously exposed.

Another environmental group, Global Forest Watch, has said the flood-inundated Indonesian provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra have since 2000 lost 7,569 square miles of forest, an area larger than the state of New Jersey.

“Unless restoration begins now, more lives will be lost,” Purba warned.

President Prabowo Subianto pledged policy reforms after visiting flood-hit areas on Monday.

“We must truly prevent deforestation and forest destruction. Protecting our forests is crucial,” Prabowo said.

This aerial photo taken from a national disaster mitigation agency’s helicopter during an aerial aid distribution shows an area affected by floods in Pidie Jaya, Aceh province, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)

In Batang Toru, the worst-hit areas in North Sumatra, where seven companies operate, hundreds of hectares had been cleared for gold mining and energy projects, leaving slopes exposed and riverbeds choked with sediment. Rivers there were swollen with runoff and timber, while villages were buried or swept away.

Lawmakers called for the companies’ permits to be revoked.

Facing public outrage, Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq announced an investigation into eight companies suspected of worsening the disaster. He said environmental permits will be reviewed and future assessments must factor in extreme rainfall scenarios.

“Someone must be held accountable,” he said.

The latest weather forecasts predict heavy showers and thunderstorms on Friday to Saturday, with saturated soil and swollen rivers leaving communities on edge.

“The two-day forecast signals persistent wet conditions, with heavy rain expected during the day and night, and thunderstorms likely in several flood-prone districts,” said Teuku Faisal Fathani, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency chief.

For Safnida, a 67-year-old survivor, the forecast brings renewed anxiety.

Soldiers and residents unload relief goods from a national disaster mitigation agency’s helicopter during an aerial aid distribution in a flood affected area in North Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)

“We can’t expect life to always be good, right? I’m grateful to be alive while my house collapsed in the floods,” she said, sitting on a thin mat in an elementary school turned evacuation shelter in Padang city on Thursday.

“At my age, I don’t know if I can still survive,” said Safnida, who goes by a single name like many Indonesians.

Karmini reported from Jakarta. Krishan Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, contributed reporting.

By JAMEY KEATEN and JILL LAWLESS

GENEVA (AP) — Spain and the Netherlands announced Thursday they are pulling out of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organizers decided to allow Israel to compete.

Related Articles

WhatsApp faces European antitrust investigation over artificial intelligence

Trump hosts the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to sign a key deal for peace in eastern Congo

Olympic flame for Milan Cortina Winter Games arrives in Italy following handover in Greece

Putin says there are points he can’t agree to in the US proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

Today in History: December 4, ‘Pizzagate’ shooting

The announcements came after the body that runs Eurovision met to discuss concerns about Israel’s participation, which is opposed by some countries due to its conduct of the war in Gaza.

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said that the participation of Israel “is no longer compatible with the responsibility we bear as a public broadcaster.”

Spain’s state broadcaster RTVE said Thursday that the country is pulling out of Eurovision after the body that runs the contest voted to let Israel participate in 2026.

“We would like to express our serious doubts about the participation of Israeli broadcaster KAN in Eurovision 2026,” said RTVE’s Secretary General Alfonso Morales during the European Broadcasting Union’s general assembly.

The pullouts came after members of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, voted to adopt tougher voting rules in response to allegations that Israel manipulated the vote in favor of their contestant.

The feel-good pop music gala that draws more than 100 million viewers every year has been roiled by the war in Gaza for the past two years.

The EBU European Broadcasting Union, a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that runs Eurovision, held twice-yearly general assembly, with some countries calling for Israel to be excluded over alleged interference in contest voting and its conduct in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The EBU said the new rules would strengthen “transparency and trust” and allow all countries, including Israel, to participate.

But Spain and the Netherlands walked out, followed by Ireland.

“Eurovision is becoming a bit of a fractured event,” said Paul Jordan, an expert on the contest known as Dr. Eurovision. “The slogan is ‘United by Music’ … unfortunately it’s disunited through politics.”

“It’s become quite a messy and toxic situation,” he said.

Divided over politics

The contest, whose 70th edition is scheduled for Vienna in May, pits acts from dozens of nations against one another for the continent’s musical crown.

It strives to put pop before politics, but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The war in Gaza has been its biggest challenge, with pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating against Israel outside the last two Eurovision contests in Basel, Switzerland, in May and Malmo, Sweden, in 2024.

The war in Gaza has also exposed rifts in the European broadcasting world. Austria, which is set to host the competition after Viennese singer JJ won this year with “Wasted Love,” supports Israel’s participation. Germany, too, is said to back Israel.

Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain are among the countries that have threatened to sit out the contest, if Israel is allowed to take part.

Opponents of Israel’s participation criticize the conduct of the war in Gaza, which has left more than 70,000 people dead, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government and whose detailed records are viewed as generally reliable by the international community. A number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said that Israel’s offensive amounts to genocide.

Israel’s government has repeatedly defended its campaign as a response to the attack by Hamas-led militants that started the war on Oct. 7, 2023. The militants killed around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — in the attack and took 251 hostage.

FILE – Israeli fans cheer for Yuval Raphael, from Israel, after she performed during the semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

Complex voting process

Israel also has faced allegations of interference in the voting process in Eurovision.

It’s not clear whether a decrease in violence in Gaza, where a U.S.-brokered ceasefire is holding, or EBU plans to change voting processes to guard against political interference will be enough to placate some broadcasters, which are on the fence over the issue.

EBU said that officials at Thursday’s meeting will be asked to consider that package of new measures, including reducing the number of votes per payment method, and a return of “professional juries” to the semifinals.

A vote on participation will only take place if member broadcasters decide those steps aren’t sufficient to protect the “neutrality and impartiality” of the contest, the broadcasting union said in an email on Wednesday.

Members have until mid-December to confirm their participation next year, and a final list will be announced by Christmas, it said.

Possible scenarios

Eurovision expert Dean Vuletic said that a boycott by any EU member country would be significant, because they are “not dictatorships” and are meant, like Israel, to share values of democracy, human rights and diversity.

“It would be the biggest boycott of Eurovision ever. There have been boycotts in the past, but they have been usually bilateral,” said Vuletic, author of “Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest.”

The fallout of a boycott could have implications for viewership and money at a time when many broadcasters are under financial pressure from government funding cuts and the advent of social media.

The countries walking away include some big names in the Eurovision world.

Spain is one of the “Big Five” large-market countries that contribute the most to the contest. Ireland has won seven times, a record it shares with Sweden.

The controversy over Israel’s 2026 participation threatens to overshadow the return next year of three countries — Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania — after periods of absence because of financial and artistic reasons.

“There are no winners here. Regardless of what happens — whether Israel is in or out, whether countries stay or go — it’s not what Eurovision should be. It’s meant to be joyous and about bringing people together despite our politics,” Jordan said. “Unfortunately it’s become, I think, a bit of a political football.”

Jill Lawless reported from London.