Author: Press Room
By Emma De Ruiter with AP Published on 19/08/2025 – 7:36 GMT+2 •Updated 8:28 ADVERTISEMENT As they emerged from talks in the White House, European leaders expressed guarded optimism that US President Donald Trump could be finding momentum in his quest to fulfil his campaign promise of ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The leaders of France, Germany, Finland, Italy and the UK, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO chief Mark Rutte showed a united front in the talks with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said after the meeting that there was…
By Anneke Smith of RNZ Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis has accepted Consumer New Zealand’s ‘Price It Right’ petition for accurate supermarket pricing. The petition, signed by 25,000 people, was presented to Willis on the steps of Parliament this morning. Willis wrote to the major supermarkets in June this year, warning them against misleading promotional practices and pricing errors. Consumer NZ chief executive John Duffy said supermarkets have had plenty of opportunity to sort it out for themselves. “It’s time for the government to step in and make supermarkets price it right, and tens of thousands of New Zealanders agree. “People…
A Department of Conservation investigation is underway after a litter of seven puppies was found dumped in Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki.The puppies, estimated to be about six weeks old, were discovered by a member of the public in the national park on August 10.DOC ranger Cameron Hunt said — aside from the disregard for the puppies’ welfare — releasing pets or other animals on to conservation land was an offence under the Conservation Act and the National Parks Act.DOC could issue an infringement notice or prosecute anyone found responsible for bringing a domestic pet into national park or conservation land.Hunt said the…
Published on 19/08/2025 – 7:45 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has intensified a specific kind of propaganda campaign, which consists of digitally altering and faking news reports from mainstream news outlets. For instance, a news segment which was aired on the Euronews programme Good Morning Romania in February recently surfaced on pro-Russian social media accounts and Telegram channels. They took a statement made by Cristian Diaconescu, head of Romania’s presidential chancellery, out of context, to make it seem like he supported the idea of Romania leaving NATO and joining Russia. “Romania must join Russia. We…
A man who was convicted of fatally stabbing a fellow homeless man then mutilating his ears will have his case heard by the Court of Appeal — 27 years after he was jailed.Warning: This article includes details of graphic violence and sexual assault.Lon Reti was found guilty of murdering Leslie Edmonds at a squatters’ house in central Christchurch in 1997. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and remains in prison.But a three-year investigation by the Criminal Cases Review Commission has found evidence related to Reti’s personal history and mental health was not put before the court. The CCRC released its…
ADVERTISEMENT They say that inspiration comes from the most unexpected places. But who would have thought that a public office setting could inspire romantic – and oftentimes dark and even forbidden- erotic fantasies? Those politicians from Spain, France, Austria or the UK used their own experience and put on paper their romantic or sexual life. Here are their stories. Think of this not as a reading list, but as a peek into a rather unexpected literary niche. Thomas Oberreiter, Austrian Ambassador to the European Union (2023-2025) At the end of July, a story made jaws drop in Brussels: Austria’s representative…
OPINION: The AI future will require unprecedented amounts of power, and embracing nuclear energy is an obvious, clean solution that could boost the NZ economy for generations. But do we have a leader with the courage? By Thomas ScrimgeourArtificial Intelligence is transforming our world, though not in the way most people imagine. While the knowledge industry revolution is still around the corner, the warehouse-sized computers driving this innovation can’t be built fast enough.Data centres already consume roughly 2% of global electricity, which is more than 10 times New Zealand’s annual generation, and this figure is projected to double by 2026.…
OPINION: The government says the planned charge is a fairer way to pay for road maintenance, but why stop there? Professor of human geography Simon Kingham outlines some potential opportunities. The government heralded its plan to move New Zealand’s entire vehicle fleet to road-user charges as a fairer method of funding road maintenance.For owners of electric and diesel vehicles, this is nothing new. They already pay road-user charges based on the distance travelled.What you need to know as road user charges coming for all vehicles – watch on TVNZ+But for petrol vehicles, it is a shift away from fuel excise…
Much of the North Island can expect rain today, with there also being a risk of thunderstorms, while some roads in the South Island have been affected by snow. MetService said this morning that “most areas” in the North Island would experience some rain today. Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay “should stay dry until the afternoon”, MetService said. It said there was a risk of thunderstorms across the North Island, with “short bursts of heavy rain expected at times”. Wellington could also expect windier conditions, made up of southerlies gusting at about 100km/h in exposed places. The region was under a…
By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Staff at media company Stuff have voted to take strike action. It is understood they are unhappy about the company’s plans to split their collective agreement into two, which they feel would reduce their bargaining power. The company separated into two different entities last year. Stuff Digital administers stuff.co.nz, Neighbourly and its audio and video divisions. Newspaper brands and their own websites like The Post, The Press and The Waikato Times are run by Masthead Publishing. Trade Me recently took a 50 percent stake in Stuff Digital, which staff are understood to feel should enable…