Author: Press Room
By Alessio Dell’Anna & Mert Can Yilmaz Published on 07/07/2025 – 14:35 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTCoal production and consumption in the EU have fallen to historic lows.Production levels in 2024 dipped to 242 million tonnes, according to Eurostat figures. This marks a 12% dive compared to 2023, and a continuation of the downward trajectory seen in 2023.Consumption too fell to a record low last year to just over 306 million tonnes, a historical decline reflected in the fading role of fuel in electricity generation, now down to 12% in the EU.While most member states phased out all coal production, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia continue…
Police investigating how a three-month-old baby in the Hutt Valley came to be seriously injured have revealed she sustained nine fractures — including to her ribcage, ankle and upper arm.On June 14, police were notified that a three-month-old baby had been taken to hospital by her family.Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Wescott today revealed the baby girl had sustained nine fractures, including throughout her ribcage and a fracture to her ankle and upper arm.”Some of these injuries occurred at different times, and police are working tirelessly to find the truth about how the injuries were sustained.”We do not believe that these…
The Government is looking at whether banks in New Zealand are taxed appropriately.Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she is continuing to receive advice from IRD on how income tax laws applied to the major banks in New Zealand, particularly compared with Australia.Willis asked for the advice last year, but said no announcements would be made until Budget next year.The key issues were around how the “parent banks” and branch banks in New Zealand interacted for tax purposes.She said there was some “very arcane and complex tax law” in that area where the OECD had guidance, but New Zealand operated slightly…
ADVERTISEMENTPoland has reinstated border controls with neighbouring Germany and Lithuania in response to similar measures imposed by Berlin.The changes, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced last week, came into effect on Monday. “We remain advocates for freedom of movement in Europe, but the condition is the shared will of all neighbours, symmetrical and united action, to minimise the uncontrolled flow of migrants across our borders,” Tusk said. In a social media post from his ministry, Poland’s Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak explained that the controls were aimed at “those involved in the illegal smuggling of migrants across the border”. “Ordinary…
The NZ Defence Force plane sent to the Middle East to assist any stranded New Zealanders in Iran or Israel has returned to Aotearoa — because it was not needed.The C130-J Hercules was sent to the region two weeks ago, as a contingency for when airspace in the region reopened.A Defence Force spokesperson said the defence force began to “draw down the contingent” in the region as regular commercial flights resumed in Israel, and were starting to become available from Iran.”It was positioned in the Middle East region to provide an alternative means of evacuation for New Zealanders, but was…
A Philippine national has been sentenced after providing false and misleading information — including the names and credentials of three Filipino civil engineers — on five work visa applications to Immigration New Zealand.Between April 3 and 23, 2024, Julia Pearl Buaquina De Los Santos submitted five work visa applications using fabricated Certificates of Employment, falsely claiming the applicants had relevant work experience in the Philippines, according to INZ.She created RealMe identity accounts for each applicant, making it appear the applications were submitted by the individuals themselves. The names and professional credentials of three Filipino civil engineers were used to create…
ADVERTISEMENTRelief from extreme heat began to reach some areas of Europe during the weekend, bringing cooler temperatures and thunderstorms after days of record-breaking heatwaves.Germany reported a maximum daytime temperature of 24 degrees Celsius on Sunday, while Spain and Italy also saw temperatures averaging around 27C and 30C.Belgium and Luxembourg experienced significant rainfall as temperatures dropped, marking the end of a spell of back-to-back days of scorching heat. The cool-off came as a significant relief to many, as severe heatwaves across the continent caused temperatures to rise above 40°C (104°F) in countries including France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, with domestic…
The commodore of a Whanganui-Manawatu sea fshing club is raising the alarm over a seabed mining project he never believed would happen.”With it being turned down by the Supreme Court and there being a court-ordered environmental hearing, I never, ever thought it would get to this point,” Jamie Newell told Local Democracy Reporting.The Whanganui diver, fisherman and business owner said large areas of one of New Zealand’s most important fisheries could be wiped out by an Australian miner’s desire to mine minerals off the South Taranaki coast.Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) wants to extract up to 50 million tonnes of seabed…
By Lucy Xia of RNZ Business leaders from Auckland and Northland have spoken about profound impacts on small to medium businesses coping with public health restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The comments were made at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the government’s response to Covid-19, with one leader saying they didn’t think vaccine mandates would work in the future. The legal challenges for businesses to implement the mandates, and the enduring financial repercussions that are still felt today, were among some of the issues raised. These are the first public hearings of the inquiry’s second phase, which was called…
Significant damage has been done to a cellular tower in rural Otago, police say.Police were called to the scene at about 10.50am with reports of the damage, located on State Highway 8 at Lindis Pass-Tarra Rd, between Forest Range Station and Goodger RdDetective Phil Hamlin said the tower provided cellular service for residents and travellers in the area.“Cellular service is especially critical in this rural and alpine area.“Rural areas tend to rely on fewer cell towers to cover larger areas, and damage to these towers can cause significant reduction or complete loss of cell service in the area.”Police have appealed…