NZ PM Ardern calls Sept 19 election

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called a general election for September, in a vote that will test whether her widespread popularity overseas is matched by support at home. The centre-left leader yesterday announced Kiwis would go to the polls on September 19, two months ahead of the last possible date for the ballot, when she will seek a second three-year term. The 39-year-old’s first term won her international fame -- she became a mother while in office and received praise for her sensitive handling of the Christchurch mosques killings.