Author: Press Room
By Shona Murray & Maïa de La Baume Published on 18/06/2025 – 14:51 GMT+2•Updated 15:19ADVERTISEMENTThe EU is unlikely to suspend its association agreement with Israel in the context of its current conflict with Iran, sources familiar with the issue have told Euronews.Last month a majority of the EU foreign ministers backed a Dutch proposal to review the bloc’s ties with Israel over its actions in Gaza.The EU’s diplomatic corps, the External Action Service (EEAS), has been reviewing the bloc’s wide-ranging trade and cooperation agreement with Israel over its military offensive in Gaza and the West Bank as well as its blocking of food,…
A central North Island iwi has filed court action against Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka and the Department of Conservation (DOC) over concession made to the commercial operators of Tūroa and Whakapapa ski fields on Ruapehu.The iwi, Te Patutokotoko, alleges the Crown failed their legal obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi by failing to engage with them and actively protect their interests in their ancestral maunga by continuing to deal with private owners over them.Lead claimant Te Kurataiaha Te Wanikau Tūroa told RNZ the the iwi has been looking for a solution to the issue for years, but was “shrugged…
Published on 18/06/2025 – 15:00 GMT+2•Updated 15:00ADVERTISEMENTBut 30 years of exposure to glyphosate has shattered his dreams and his existence. He was diagnosed five years ago with an intravascular B-cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. It has been recognised as an occupational disease.Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world and also the most controversial. It has been classified as “probably carcinogenic” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) since 2015. More recent studies from research institutes such as the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) have established a likely link between…
A small South Otago school has raised nearly $60,000 by selling butter.The rising price of butter has led a number of schools to ditch traditional fundraisers in favour of selling the blocks instead.Kaitangata School managed to sell just under 15,000 blocks of butter throughout the community — earning them a grand total of $59,000, with some blocks travelling as far as Christchurch.Brittany Morrison is both a teacher and parent at the school, as well as being the treasurer and secretary of the school community group which ran the fundraiser.She said the outcome of the fundraiser completely exceeded their expectations.”We did…
ADVERTISEMENTIsrael is set to be one of the first countries targeted by a reform of the mechanism to suspend short-stay visa-free travel into the EU and Schengen countries agreed on Tuesday by the European Parliament and the Council according to European Parliament sources.The new rules amend the grounds for suspending visa free schemes to include violations of human rights, which could lead to the imposition of mandatory visas for Israeli citizens, among others, sources from the Parliament familiar with the dossier told Euronews.Currently nationals from 61 countries – including Australia, Brazil, Israel, Japan, UK, Ukraine and the Western Balkan states…
ADVERTISEMENTThe EU’s so-called Equal Treatment directive — aimed at extending protection against discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation — has reached a dead end, several EU officials told Euronews. First proposed by the European Commission in 2008, the anti-discrimination bill has remained stalled in the European Council, despite progress in the European Parliament. The Council, which represents the 27 EU member states, has been unable to reach a consensus for years. In February, the EU executive removed the proposal from its work programme for 2025, arguing that it was blocked and “further progress was unlikely”.…
Fire and Emergency has handed an Auckland supermarket back to the building owners following a fire which caused “extensive damage”. The fire broke out at New World Victoria Park shortly after 11am yesterday, and black smoke could be seen billowing from as far away as the North Shore. At its peak, around 80 firefighters from 23 trucks across the region, and support personnel, were at the scene. The fire was extinguished last night and firefighters remained in place overnight to monitor hotspots. In an update shortly before 1.30pm, Incident Controller Phil Larcombe said fire crews have now left the site…
ADVERTISEMENTAn EU law aiming to establish minimum common standards for breeding and keeping cats and dogs in the bloc leaves loopholes in online trading and risks continued use of so-called “puppy mills” in which babies are chained up, MEPs and NGOs have warned.In December 2023 the European Commission proposed the law to regulate a market it estimates generates €1.3 billion each year, in order to improve traceability of cats and dogs across Europe, as well as banning controversial practices such as ear cropping.EU ministers adopted their position on the proposal last year, and the European Parliament is now expected to vote…
Inland Revenue says it wants to clear up misunderstanding about the effect of proposed changes to fringe benefit tax (FBT), particularly when it comes to double cab utes.There was a warning this week that farmers buying expensive utes at Fieldays could be in for a shock if the FBT rules changed in line with proposals released earlier this year.Federated Farmers has also warned of a “ute tax 2.0”.But Inland Revenue deputy commissioner, policy, David Carrigan, said there were misunderstandings about the tax, including a myth that utes had been FBT-free.”When it comes to double cab utes, these are treated no…
Published on 18/06/2025 – 11:01 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTThe EU and Australia announced on Wednesday they will start talks for a defence and security pact, with the bloc expected to strike a similar deal with Canada next week, a first step that could eventually allow both NATO allies to take part in the EU’s €150 billion programme to boost military production. “I very much welcome the EU’s offer for a Security and Defence Partnership and Australia will warmly take it up and commence work immediately,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement released following a meeting on the sidelines of…