Author: Press Room

Published on 24/11/2025 – 18:51 GMT+1 The pot is massive: An estimated €300 billion in Russian Central Bank assets are frozen across the G7 countries. The vast majority — to the tune of €185 billion — is locked here in Belgium by Euroclear, a securities depository. Brussels planned to use the Russian frozen assets to issue an unprecedented reparations loan for Ukraine. But the US plan flips the script with a controversial proposal: unblock the funds and split them into two investment vehicles. The first fund would be intended for Ukraine’s reconstruction. $100 billion of the frozen assets would be…

A man permanently lost vision in his right eye after waiting hours for treatment at two public hospitals during a nationwide nurses’ strike.The Health and Disability Commissioner ruled Health New Zealand had breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights, saying the delays were “unacceptable” and avoidable.On June 9, 2021, the man experienced sudden vision loss, dizziness and nausea. He was taken by ambulance to the first public hospital’s emergency department at 11.24am and triaged as Triage Code 2 – meaning he should have been seen within 10 minutes.Instead, he waited for more than four hours to be…

Optimism for the EU’s future has slumped among Europeans, despite more than half still saying that they feel hopeful. This is according to a recent Flash Eurobarometer survey, which found that levels of optimism fell by six percentage points compared with the same time last year. “An analysis of individual member states indicates this decline is widespread,” the report states. Malta (from 73% to 57%), Austria (from 51% to 41%), Italy (from 60% to 50%), and Greece (from 48% to 39%) have seen the biggest drops. Hopefulness about the EU’s future tends to be higher among younger respondents. “This drop…

The Government has announced the first organisations to receive funding from the Social Investment Agency.Ministers in August announced the priority for the fund was to support children whose parents are in prison or have been in the care system, and children who have been stood down from school before turning 13.The first round of $50 million in funding is going to seven programmes supporting children from newborns to 18-year-olds.Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis said the successful organisations showed they could make the best overall impact for the target groups, and were able to measure that success.They included:Te Hou Ora Whānau…

A body has been found in dense bush near Auckland’s Pukekohe in the search for missing woman Te Anihana Pomana.Pomana, also known as Ani Anderson, went missing on August 21 after leaving SkyCity Hotel in the early hours of the morning, having left all her belongings at the hotel.The 25-year-old was last seen on CCTV heading towards Victoria St West in the central city before she vanished.On Monday afternoon, police said they were notified of a body being located in the Pukekohe area around 7.43pm on Saturday.Detective Sergeant Martin Friend said formal identification was yet to take place but it…

The UN climate summit COP30 in Brazil’s Belem concluded with a final text that avoided any roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, drawing criticism that described the outcome as an “empty deal” and a “moral failure”. The United States’ withdrawal from international climate talks has created a political and financial vacuum, with US President Donald Trump describing climate change as a “con job”. Countries that attended the UN’s flagship climate change conference whose economies rely heavily on fossil fuel production, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were openly opposed to any target or roadmap to phase out fossil…

Former co-leaders and presidents of Te Pāti Māori have signed a letter saying they want to salvage the divided party and are not prepared to walk away, according to a letter obtained exclusively by 1News, as supporters cancel memberships.It followed a meeting held in Northland over the weekend, allowing supporters to discuss the ousted Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.Kapa-Kingi was recently expelled from the party alongside Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris.Te Pāti Māori’s leadership snubbed an invitation to meet with those in the north.In a letter last week, Te Pāti Māori secretary Lance Norman said the party had…

European leaders have demanded to be fully involved in Ukraine negotiations for matters that fall directly under the bloc’s jurisdiction, such as the economic sanctions imposed on Moscow and the immobilised assets of the Russian Central Bank. Both issues, alongside Kyiv’s EU accession bid, were featured in the initial 28-point plan drafted by the United States and Russia without European participation, sparking concerns that the EU could be sidelined from talks about the continent’s security. The controversial template was discussed on Sunday between American, Ukrainian and European officials in Geneva, Switzerland. As a result of the talks, the text has…

Police wanted a trucker, who was jailed for three years for manslaughter on Thursday, to lose his operating licence years before his dodgy truck rolled backwards, fatally hitting a roadworker.Twice moves were made to take the Transport Service Licence off Auckland company director Ashik Ali.The New Zealand Transport Agency was going to, but then pulled back, official documents released to RNZ showed.Ali’s submissions in mid-2021, arguing to keep his licence, included pledging his company would no longer operate the truck that later rolled away.Johnathon Walters was run over at night at roadworks in a Remuera street in May 2024, when…

Expelled Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says an iwi has called for the party’s president, John Tamihere, to step down at a Te Tai Tokerau hui at the weekend.Te Tai Tokerau was calling on Te Pāti Māori to reinstate their MP Kapa-Kingi, and for improved relations between the ousted MP and her former party.That came from a hui called for by Te Rūnanga Nui Ā Ngāpuhi where more than 200 people packed into Kohewhata Marae in Kaikohe to speak with Kapa-Kingi face-to-face and decide on their response to her and Tākuta Ferris’ expulsion from the party this month.Among those…