Author: Press Room

Chinese companies are investing massively in Hungary. ADVERTISEMENTA factory for Chinese electric cars “made in Europe” is in the planning stage. And in 2025 in Debrecen, Europe’s largest battery factory will go into operation – a €7 billion project of Chinese worldwide market leader CATL. While supporters of such mega-factories highlight economic growth and job creation, critics warn of environmental risks, a jostling for subsidies, and Hungary’s growing dependence on China and Russia as energy supplier.Currently, battery factories for electric cars are under construction all over Europe, not just in Hungary. China’s CATL already has a battery factory in the…

This article was originally published in Spanish Last year, more than 43,000 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands, a record-breaking figure that exceeds that of 2006, during the so-called ‘Cayuco crisis’. ADVERTISEMENTAround 780 new migrants have arrived in the Canary Islands, local officials in the Spanish archipelago say. Authorities said the migrants arrived in ten boats on the islands of Lanzarote and El Hierro and included 36 minors and 86 women of sub-Saharan and North African origin.Salvamento Marítimo, Spain’s sea and rescue agency, said in a post on X that it rescued “84 sub-Saharan people (13 women and 4 minors) from…

A Powerball player from Wellington is $7 million richer after winning Lotto’s Powerball First Division last night. The winning numbers were 14, 15, 20, 32, 33, 34, the Bonus Ball was 13 and the Powerball was 9.The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto.The prize is made up of $6 million from Powerball First Division and $1 from Lotto First Division.Last night’s winner was the first Powerball multi-millionaire of 2025, and the win comes just over a week after a Dunedin couple won $4.3 million on a ticket they had been gifted. Meanwhile, Strike Four rolled over last night and would…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Home loan borrowers should see rates below 5 percent before too long, one mortgage expert says. The official cash rate is expected to be lowered by another 50 basis points in February, and further cuts are predicted later in the year. Wholesale rates have fallen since the last OCR cut, and the two-year swap rate is down 20 basis points from the time of the last gross domestic product (GDP) release, which showed New Zealand had been through another recession. David Cunningham, chief executive of mortgage broking firm Squirrel, said it meant there were at least…

Liam Payne’s medical cause of death has been confirmed as “polytrauma”.The former One Direction singer died in October 2024 aged 31 after falling from a third floor balcony at the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.A UK inquest opening has confirmed he died from “polytrauma”, which is a medical term used for a person suffering multiple traumatic injuries to their body and organ systems.The hearing — which Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court said took place on December 17 — was told it could take “some time” to determine how Payne came to fall from the balcony.During the hearing, Senior Coroner Crispin…

A plan to change the fortunes of the embattled Fiordland airport is one step closer.Since its inception, Te Anau Airport Manapouri has run at a loss with shortfalls ranging from $217,000 to almost $320,000 across the last five years alone.But owner Southland District Council views the facility as a “strategic asset” and hopes to set it on the right path.Following the 2022 local government election, the newly elected Fiordland Community Board requested the council undertake a review of the airport, resulting in a working group forming the following year.A report released by Great South last month recommended a business case…

The FPÖ party leader has invited the ÖVP to coalition talks, signalling his intention to bury the hatchet between the two parties. ADVERTISEMENTA “shift in power” within the European Union is inevitable if Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl forms a government, according to a political analyst. As Kickl prepares for potential coalition talks with the conservative Austrian’s People’s Party (ÖVP), political scientist Peter Hajek says “there’s no question that with Kickl as Federal Chancellor there will of course also be a slight shift in power within the European Union.” Kickl’s leadership is “really unpredictable,” according to Hajek, and he “has always pulled…

Members of three central North Island iwi have elected a board of trustees to manage their $28.5 million Treaty settlement.Nine trustees — three from each of the iwi Uenuku, Tamahaki and Tamakana — have been elected to the first board of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua.Te Korowai o Wainuiārua is the post-settlement governance entity set up to represent hapū affiliated to the three iwi and manage their settlement assets.The settlement signed at Raetihi Marae in July 2023 recognises breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi and provides redress including cash, cultural redress and property.An interim board made up of trustees of the…

Initiatives such as Dry January and Damp January gain increasing popularity, with millions of people said to be taking part across Europe. ADVERTISEMENTThe decision of France’s health minister to go alcohol-free in January has raised a few eyebrows in the country, the biggest wine producer in Europe with 48 million hectolitres.Nonetheless, 17 million people in France, or one in four, are planning to abstain from drinking this month, according to alcohol-free winemaker Chavin. In neighbouring Belgium, almost the same rate, 23%, said they participated in Dry January in 2023, according research conducted by Eurocare.In Germany, Europe’s leading beer producer, only…

The US president-elect has refused to rule out an attack on Greenland, a Danish self-governing island and NATO ally. ADVERTISEMENTDonald Trump has doubled down on his threat to use military force to seize control of Greenland, a self-governing territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark, stoking tensions with his European allies.Denmark should cede the autonomous territory to the US to “protect the free world,” Trump argued on Tuesday, threatening to slap economic sanctions on the EU member state if it doesn’t. His comments came as his son, Donald Trump Jr., visited the island accompanied by his father’s key advisors.Trump’s interest in…