Author: Press Room

Key points:A wind farm proposal for Taranaki has been shut down, with ‘key uncertainties’ including allocation of seabed, the company saysThe Infrastructure Minister says both seabed mining and wind farms are priorities for the GovernmentLabour’s Energy spokesperson disagrees and a local MP says she’s gutted for her community.A major offshore renewable energy company has cancelled plans to build wind turbines off the coast of Taranaki and Waikato. The decision has been blamed due in part to a fast-tracked seabed mining decision made by the Government. Spanish company Bluefloat Energy had multi-billion dollar plans to harness wind out at sea off…

The Czech Republic signed a treaty with the Vatican, ensuring religious freedom and recognising Catholic marriages. It needs parliamentary approval to take effect. ADVERTISEMENTThe Czech Republic signed a treaty over its relations with the Vatican on Thursday, becoming one of the last European Union countries to do so.The document was signed Thursday in Prague by conservative Prime Minister Petr Fiala and the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.Fiala called it a “balanced” document that “fully respects our legal order.” The full text was not expected to be made public until after the treaty is ratified.Among its provisions, the country…

After nearly two decades in fashion retail in Dunedin, Wendy Jones is calling it quits. White By Design, originally established in Roslyn Village in 2006, has most latterly been based in the Centre City Mall,but the end-of-lease closing down sale signs are up and Ms Jones will close the doors by the end of the year. Born into the Dunedin rag trade, Ms Jones shifted from Roslyn to George St in 2014, when the area began losing its vibrancy, and was in two different locations in the main street before moving to Centre City Mall. Retail was very tough, particularly…

A group set up to ease tensions over access to a popular Hawke’s Bay beach has proposed permanently banning most vehicles, and requiring permits for the two vehicle types that would be allowed.A summer ban for vehicles begins again on October 25 (under a bylaw) along a 1km strip of Waimārama Beach near the township, with Hastings District Council voting to extend it from Labour Weekend to April 30, 2025.Councillor Marcus Buddo said it had already been a lengthy and at times fraught process just to get to this point, with more work to come.”There have been thousands of submissions,…

Voters return to the ballot box amid high apathy and a surge for the far-right. ADVERTISEMENTBulgarian voters are once again being asked to decide on the country’s government, as they prepare for snap national elections on Sunday. It is the seventh time that elections have been held in the EU’s poorest nation since mass anti-corruption protests in 2020 toppled a coalition government led by the centre-right GERB party.Since then, a series of elections — two with just three months between them — have led to unstable coalitions led by multiple centrist and right-wing parties. Some observers have labelled the past…

Whangārei Hospital’s redevelopment has been labelled as a project with “significant risk” by Health NZ due to a major funding shortfall.In 2022, the Labour-led Government approved $759m for a new hospital block to include 10 surgical theatres, an expanded emergency department, intensive care unit, coronary care unit, radiology and support services, as well as a new child health centre, whānau house and the design of a ward tower. This would have been Stage 1 of 2 of the redevelopment.Documents released to 1News under the Official Information Act have revealed the project was given a red rating in March and labelled…

This article was originally published in Russian The decision by the authorities in Warsaw follows an attack plot on the consulate and broader tensions. ADVERTISEMENTTen employees of the Russian consulate general in Poznan will have to leave Poland following Warsaw’s decision to close the consular office, Polish Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.”Three diplomats and five administrative and technical staff will leave the Russian consulate in Poznan, as well as two employees who were supposed to be accredited in Poland, but they will no longer receive this accreditation,” ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński said, adding that the institution’s staff may leave the country…

The block’s exports of wind turbines, solar panels and liquid biofuels saw substantial growth between 2002 and 2023, but a more balanced import-export trade-off is still a long way to go, new Eurostat data shows. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union imports more green energy infrastructure than it exports. Last year, member countries sourced €19.7 billion worth of solar panels from outside the block, 5% up from 2022. EU solar panel exports, on the contrary, totalled only €0.9 billion.The biofuel trade-off is also negative. The EU imported €3.9 billion in liquid biofuels, while €2.2 billion were sold to third countries.However, EU exports of…

The best sausage in the country was crowned last night as part of the Dunninghams Great New Zealand Sausage Competition.The prestigious award was snagged by Westmere Butchery in Auckland, who beat more than 800 other entries with their pork and leek sausage. Entries were assessed across two phases, with 34 panels of judges trying them over eight days. This was followed by a second stage, where the top-scored sausages were judged again. The pork and leek sausage was praised for its “exceptional balance of flavour, texture, and quality ingredients”.’The flavours they used are a classic combination that works well together.…

China’s “unwarranted military exercises” around Taiwan and “attempts to distort history” have been sharply rebuked by MEPs. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Parliament has called on China to immediately cease its “continued military operations,” “economic coercion” and “hostile disinformation” campaign against Taiwan, the self-ruling island that Beijing claims to be a breakaway province.Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have been high since Taiwan elected William Lai as its new president in May. Lai has offered to resume dialogue with China but insisted Taiwan would never be subordinate to its neighbour. In reaction, Beijing has ramped up its belligerent rhetoric and military drills near Taiwan,…