Author: Press Room

The agreement includes intelligence sharing, targeting smuggling networks’ financial flows, and removing online content promoting illegal mi ADVERTISEMENTThe UK and Germany announced a joint commitment on Tuesday to tackle people-smuggling operations responsible for sending migrants across the English Channel in small boats. UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser signed a “joint action plan” in London to strengthen intelligence sharing and cross-border cooperation. Under the agreement, Berlin will make facilitating migrant smuggling to the UK a specific criminal offence. Many of the dinghies used for Channel crossings are stored in Germany. “These criminal gangs who organise dangerous small boats…

Most New Zealanders are still keen on using physical cash, a Reserve Bank consultation has found.The recent call for feedback on digital cash drew the highest response the bank has received, a statement from the bank said.The responses showed large numbers of people remained committed to physical currency.”Kiwis say cash is crucial and current payment options are not delivering what customers want,” the bank said.What’s digital cash?The Reserve Bank has been exploring a proposal to make cash available in a digital format.Digital currency would be issued by the Reserve Bank and hold the same value as the traditional banknotes and…

In this edition, we look at EU Member States’ decision to adopt a recommendation reducing exposure to secondhand smoke in certain outdoor spaces. The aim is to not only ban traditional cigarettes, but also inhaled tobacco products. ADVERTISEMENTNearly one-third of all cancers are attributed to tobacco use, including exposure to secondhand smoke. The EU’s executive branch made a recommendation, adopted this month by Member States, to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke in some outdoor spaces. However, each of the 27 governments will have full discretion over how to implement it in the next five years.”There were some Member States that…

The Coalition’s Interislander ferry replacement project will cost less than what was contracted for under the previous Labour government, the Prime Minister has revealed.New rail-enabled ferries were due to be delivered in 2026 after the then-Labour New Zealand First coalition struck a deal in 2018 for two mega rail-enabled ferries to be built in Korea.The bigger ships meant new port infrastructure was required, and the original price tag of $700 million rose to $3 billion by the time the new government was sworn in.While the mega ships don’t come cheap, it was the work required to make them fit in…

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency claims Russia is retreating from its Syrian bases. Moscow has refuted the claims. ADVERTISEMENTThe fate of Russia’s prized air and naval bases on Syrian territory hangs in the balance after the dramatic ousting of Kremlin ally President Bashar al-Assad.Russia has two military bases in Syria: the Tartus naval base on the Mediterranean coast and the Khmeimim Air Base near the port city of Latakia. They are considered among the Kremlin’s most strategically important military outposts.The Tartus site is particularly critical, providing Russia with its only direct access to the Mediterranean sea and a base to conduct…

While Otago may have topped a national economic ranking, a southern business leader remains sceptical conditions are improving. Otago edged out both Canterbury and Southland to claim the top spot in ASB’s latest regional economic scoreboard, which ranks the economic performance of the country’s 16 regions on employment, construction, retail trade and house prices. Knocked from the top spot was Gisborne, which fell to fourth. Otago had spent the past three quarters as the second runner-up and had consistently been in the top two for two consecutive years, the report said. The momentum of having a larger population — the…

The Government has announced plans to end greyhound racing in New Zealand. In a statement this afternoon, Racing Minister Winston Peters said the Government intended to wind down racing over 20 months to enable the rehoming of racing dogs and provide a transition period for those involved in the industry. The Greyhound industry called it a “devastating blow” that would have “far-reaching implications” for those who work in racing.Peters said it was “not a decision that is taken lightly” but is “ultimately driven by protecting the welfare of racing dogs”. He said the industry had been on notice for several…

The fall of Bashar al-Assad has prompted complex questions about the future of the one million Syrians who fled the war and sought refuge in Europe. ADVERTISEMENTThe collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal dictatorship has left the European Union with an enormous list of burning questions to answer: Who is the main interlocutor in the country? How can Brussels contribute to the transition of power? What happens with the punishing sanctions? Should EU funds flow again to support reconstruction?And yet, no other question is more consequential for governments than the future of the over one million Syrians who have sought refuge…

The Reserve Bank says the country is lagging behind most developed economies in offering a digital cash option that can be used much in the way physical cash is used. The central bank says a lack of competition in the banking sector means consumers are missing out on the type of innovation seen elsewhere in the development of digital cash, which is secure and accessible offline. RBNZ director of money and cash Ian Woolford said this was a wake-up call to the big banks, as it was now technically possible to offer the public a digital cash system that left…

Christchurch Casino is facing civil action by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) for allegedly failing to meet its legal compliance obligations.The department alleged the casino’s owners, Christchurch Casinos Limited, failed to meet its compliance obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act between December 2018 and December 2023. “These include the obligations to establish, implement and maintain a robust AML/CFT compliance programme; to conduct enhanced customer due diligence and terminate business relationships when required; to monitor accounts; and to keep records as required by the Act.”The casino was not alleged to be directly involved in…