Author: Press Room
By Jeremy Fleming-Jones & Romane Armangau & Vincenzo Genovese & Jorge Liboreiro Published on 10/07/2025 – 10:35 GMT+2•Updated 13:00ADVERTISEMENTUrsula von der Leyen and the European Commission have survived a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament, with 175 MEPs voting in favour of the motion of censure, 360 against and 18 abstentions.Votes in favour were well below the two-thirds majority of all votes cast required for the motion to be successful.Von der Leyen, who was not present in the hemicycle during the vote, is safe for now. But the vote has undoubtedly weakened her and left questions over support for her agenda in the…
XFG, also known as Stratus, has spread rapidly since the earliest sample was collected in January. Dr Paul Griffin breaks down what you need to know about the new Covid subvariant. Given the number of times this has happened already, it should come as little surprise that we’re now faced with yet another new subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid.This new subvariant is known as XFG (nicknamed “Stratus”) and the World Health Organization (WHO) designated it a “variant under monitoring” in late June. XFG is a subvariant of Omicron, of which there are now more than 1000.A “variant…
ADVERTISEMENTBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are reportedly in talks to announce a “one in, one out” migration trial deal on Thursday, which will see the UK taking in some asylum seekers while sending others back to France, local media reported on Thursday.The trial scheme, first reported by French outlets on Wednesday, would involve returning up to 50 small boat arrivals to France each week.France will accept the returned migrants in exchange for the UK taking in an equal number of asylum seekers who have family ties in Britain. If successful, the trial will be ramped…
A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder following a fatal shooting at a house in Hamilton last night.Emergency services were called to the property on Bellmont Avenue in Chartwell shortly before 7pm where a 31-year-old man was found dead. Police take 20-year-old into custody who allegedly carjacked a vehicle to flee the scene. (Source: 1News)Police said last night they were responding to a “serious firearms incident”. “The alleged offender, who was known to the victim, had fled the scene prior to police arrival,” said Waikato Field Crime Manager Detective Inspector Daryl Smith. A search for the alleged offender immediately…
ADVERTISEMENTMilitary leader Khalifa Haftar — who holds de facto power of large parts of eastern Libya — orchestrated a meeting on Tuesday as a means of ‘trapping’ an EU delegation into recognising the legitimacy of the Benghazi-led Libyan administration, according to a source familiar with the issue. The delegation were declared “personae non gratae” and asked to depart Libyan territory upon arriving at the airport of Benghazi.The mission travelled to eastern Libya after meeting in Tripoli with representatives of the Government of National Unity (GNU) — the internationally recognised executive led by Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah which controls Tripoli and…
A high court jury has seen footage of murder-accused Julia DeLuney’s video interview with police the day after her mother’s death, where her story is first put under the microscope.Police questioned why she changed her clothes on two different occasions, and as they begin to interrogate the details, she asks: “Do you think I could do something like that? It’s just, what are you suggesting? You’re making me out to be a f***ing monster.”DeLuney is on trial at the High Court in Wellington for the murder of her 79-year-old mother, Helen Gregory, which she denies.The Crown says DeLuney attacked her…
Published on 10/07/2025 – 7:20 GMT+2•Updated 8:21ADVERTISEMENTUrsula von der Leyen appeared to secure more votes protecting her from Thursday’s motion of censure, as Socialists pledged their support for the Commission President in exchange for assurances on the EU budget, including the European Social Fund. The far-right-led motion of no-confidence will go to a roll call vote around midday on Thursday, with von der Leyen’s and the entire Commission’s future put to the test in the confidence vote.The motion, spearheaded by the Patriots for Europe, Europe of Sovereign Nations, and a fraction of the European Conservatives and Reformists, has gathered significant…
One-hour-free parking everywhere and a three-hour limit in the core CBD are among ideas on the table as Rotorua begins a parking overhaul.Rotorua Lakes Council has begun the process of bringing many of the city’s parking services in-house by July 2026.This after a decision not to renew its contract with current provider i-Park.It marks the end of the fully outsourced parking model introduced in mid-2018, which has been a source of frustration for some residents, business owners and community leaders.The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a homicide arrest after a Hamilton manhunt, concern over a new Covid variant, and…
Published on 10/07/2025 – 7:30 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTA video circulating widely online falsely claims to show NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte describing Ukraine as a US territory during the Alliance’s recent summit in The Hague.The video, in which Rutte speaks in English, has been subtitled in Russian to falsely quote Rutte as saying the NATO Alliance must ensure “Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin will never, ever again try to take away a single square kilometre of Ukrainian territory from the Americans”.Euroverify has detected the video circulating widely on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram TikTok and X, and captioned in Bulgarian, English, Dutch and German.But a closer look…
A search is underway for a diver who was reported missing at Whatipū Beach in west Auckland this morning.Police said in a statement they were called shortly before 5.30am.The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a homicide arrest after a Hamilton manhunt, concern over a new Covid variant, and Red Bull sacks its Formula 1 team boss. (Source: 1News)”Search efforts are ongoing to locate the man,” a police spokesperson said.”The Police Eagle helicopter has deployed to assist with aerial-based searches, alongside police launch Deaodar, Search and Rescue and Coastguard New Zealand.” A Coastguard spokesperson confirmed police alerted them to the…