Author: Press Room

Published on 13/08/2025 – 15:00 GMT+2 •Updated 15:11 ADVERTISEMENT The Mediterranean is the sixth largest accumulation zone for marine litter. It holds only 1% of the world’s waters but concentrates 7% of all global microplastics. This is why French scientists from the Exploration Bleue project have come off the coast of Toulon to study the impact of microplastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea.  Their expeditions are led by the NGO Expédition 7ᵉ Continent’s 27-metre sailing vessel.  “The Mediterranean is an enclosed sea with a dense population. All human activity ends up in the sea. We study the chemical pollutants carried…

Several key rural roads across Tasman have had their speed limits dropped.Lowering speed limits around the district has been difficult for Tasman after its regional speed plan was largely invalidated by a Government rule change.However, as of Monday, the Motueka Valley and Moutere highways, as well as Dovedale, Edwards, and Neudorf roads, have fallen from 100km/h to 80.In Richmond, McShane Rd has also lowered to 50km/h from 80, while Lower Queen St immediately northeast of McShane saw sections drop to 50 and 60km/h from 60 and 80km/h.These reductions come after speed limits were reduced and variable limits installed around several…

A Northland woman, charged with neglect after allegedly shutting a 2-year-old girl in a suitcase on a bus, has applied for permanent name suppression.In a hearing in the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Court (CPMIP) today, her fitness to stand trial was also raised. Both issues would be heard in the Auckland District Court at her next appearance on October 1.In the meantime, the 27-year-old would remain in custody — with her identity suppressed — under the care of a prison mental health team. She has yet to enter a plea.At the end of the hearing, a family member stood…

ADVERTISEMENT A segment that aired on right-wing American channel Fox News in early August has sparked a controversial debate in Ireland, leading the country’s former Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to post on X, directing his followers to a thread fact-checking the broadcaster’s claims. In the TV piece, Fox alleged that Dublin has gone from being one of the safest cities in Europe in 2003, to one of the most dangerous in 2024. To support this claim, Fox showed a screenshot of an article published in 2024 by the Irish newspaper Sunday World titled “Dublin ranks among the top ten most…

Senior diplomat Chris Seed has been appointed as New Zealand’s next ambassador to the United States, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. Seed’s appointment comes at a crucial time for diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the US, New Zealand’s second biggest trading partner.He would step into the role in January 2026. Earlier this month, the Trump administration levelled a surprise 15% tariff on New Zealand. Just a day prior, the FBI opened its new office in Wellington to “strengthen and enhance” its cooperation with a “key Five Eyes partner in the southwestern Pacific region”. Director Kash Patel also said…

Chlöe Swarbrick has refused to apologise and has been kicked out of Parliament for the second time this week. During an urgent debate yesterday, the Greens co-leader called on the Government to pick up her party’s bill to “sanction Israel for its war crimes”.”If we find six of 68 Government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,” said Swarbrick.Speaker Gerry Brownlee called on her to apologise, which she refused, so he ordered her to leave the House for the rest of the week.He later said she could return if she apologised. She has said…

Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern and three other pandemic-era ministers have declined to appear at a public hearing of the Covid-19 inquiry next week.Grant Illingworth KC, the chairperson of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the pandemic response, said a second week of hearings was no longer justified as a resultThe decision by the inquiry followed the former ministers — Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson and Ayesha Verrall — jointly declining the offer to answer questions in public.Illingworth said the ex-Labour government ministers had provided a “significant” amount of information via private interviews and that he was “confident” that…

PNP Farms Butchery Angus beef sausages. Photo: Supplied / MPI A batch of sausages sold at two South Island branches of a butchery has been recalled because they may contain glass. The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) has recalled PNP Farms’ Butchery brand Pure Angus Beef sausages with a best before date of 17.08.25. It says there has been a report of an injury. The sausages should not be eaten. “If you have consumed any of this product and have any concerns about your health, seek medical advice,” MPI said. The sausages are sold at PNP Farms Butchery, 84 High…

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has again been kicked out of Parliament after refusing to apologise for a comment she made yesterday in the House.Yesterday, Swarbrick was kicked out of Parliament during an urgent debate on recognising Palestine as a state.The debate was called after Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the Government was weighing up its position on the issue.In recent times, the UK, Canada, France and Australia have announced plans to recognise Palestine as a state.During the debate on Tuesday, Swarbrick said MPs could “grow a spine” and support her bill which would impose sanctions on Israel.Green Party co-leader…

Public access to the Manukau Heads Lighthouse has been restored after a $4 million project to reopen the road, which was extensively damaged by a massive slip. The original Manukau Heads Rd was rendered impassable after a slip displaced 90,000 cubic metres of soil down a hillside. The old route was assessed as unstable and too costly to repair. Auckland Transport has since constructed a new section of road, metres away from the slip, under a government-funded project which cost $4 million. The project was completed within the expected timeframe of three to four months, Auckland Transport said, despite the…