Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's trip to the United States is receiving global media attention, including her comments on the tragic Texas shooting - and for wearing a mask outdoors.
After isolating with COVID-19, Ardern jetted off to the US on Monday afternoon to promote New Zealand tourism and trade. Whether she'll meet with President Joe Biden remains up in the air due to her recent infection, though she has visited the United Nations Secretary-General, a number of businesses, and met with members of the US Chamber of Commerce.
But what appears to be getting the most focus internationally is Ardern's comments on gun control in light of the shooting of 21 people - including 19 children - in Uvalde, Texas.
The tragic event happened just before the Prime Minister recorded a segment for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On the television programme, Ardern was asked how New Zealand changed its gun laws post-March 15 and what US political leaders can take from that.
Among the global media outlets to pick up on that include The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, Axios, Mashable, and Vanity Fair. A number of foreign-language publications have also written on Ardern's visit.
"New Zealand Leader Jacinda Ardern Talks Gun Control on 'Late Show': "We Saw Something That Wasn't Right and We Acted on It"," is how The Hollywood Reporter headlined its piece.
"Ardern explained that New Zealand did not totally ban firearms, as 'we have a legitimate need for guns in our country for things like pest control and to protect our biodiversity,' but, she said, 'you don't need a military-style semiautomatic weapon to do that. And so we got rid of them'," the article says.
The Daily Beast wrote: "New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern Talks 'Pragmatic' Gun Control With Colbert After Uvalde Shooting"
Vanity Fair angled its story around Colbert's opening monologue, where he said political leaders need to "show a modicum of courage in trying to prevent this from ever happening again", before mentioning Ardern's contribution.
The Daily Mail instead decided to headline their article around Ardern inviting "Late Show host Stephen Colbert to her WEDDING as she makes a shameless bid to get more tourists to visit New Zealand after closing border for more than two years".
That was not the only article about Ardern from the Mail on Wednesday.
One piece from the outlet focused on Ardern wearing a COVID-19 face mask outdoors.
"Covid-zero zealot Jacinda Ardern stands out in New York as she wears a mask OUTSIDE while recovering from the virus," the Daily Mail headline said.
The article details the face mask rules in New York, where there is no mandate, but it's reported people must wear a mask for 10 days after being infected with COVID-19.
The city recommends them inside.
"We strongly recommend wearing a face covering as much as possible when you are with other people in an indoor setting that is not your home, even if 6 feet of distance can be maintained," a city COVID-19 website says.
In New Zealand, face masks are also not required outdoors, but are still mandated in some indoor settings as well as on public transport.
Although the headline describes Ardern as a "Covid-zero zealot", New Zealand hasn't followed an elimination strategy for several months now. Instead, the country's health system focuses on protecting the vulnerable from the virus.
There are currently 51,679 cases of COVID-19 in the community. The country's borders have reopened after being closed for much of the pandemic and the only domestic rules are around where to wear face masks.
Other media outlets covering Ardern's US trip include Bloomberg - which has written about her comments on potential militarisation in the Pacific - and Fortune.
