Author: Press Room

Former president of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker cautioned against Ukraine joining Nato as a form of security guarantee. Talking to Euronews for The Europe Conversation, he also said that Ukraine should be granted limited EU membership. ADVERTISEMENTJean-Claude Juncker, former president of the European Commission, has cautioned against Ukraine joining NATO as a form of security guarantee. Juncker warned that NATO membership for Ukraine could trigger Article 5—the NATO clause asserting collective defense, which could lead to a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia. He emphasized that, as long as Ukraine is at war and under attack, it cannot…

Sheep and beef farmers are only half chuffed as they wait for an international trade war to play out on an expected turnaround in farmgate profits from higher export prices. Red meat export returns are projected to increase by $1.2 billion in 2024-25 — up 13% to $10.2b — by Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) mid-season update. The industry body’s team of economists and analysts have found the red meat sector is on track for a strong rebound, as farm profitability and export returns head for a marked increase. At this stage, weaker demand from China is being offset…

Salvage crews have finished removing more than 300,000 litres of diesel fuel from the HMNZS Manawanui, according to the Defence Force.A precautionary fishing zone around the vessel has now been removed, and salvors are now focusing on removing equipment, weapons, ammunition and debris from in and around the ship before making it secure, according to the Defence Force.The Navy vessel sank after it ran aground on a coral reef off the coast of Upolu and caught fire on October 6. All 75 crew and passengers were evacuated.Local authorities said about 200,000 litres of diesel leaked from the wreckage in the…

Christchurch’s Acrux Wool Systems is bringing wool garment manufacturing back to the city with the help of robotic knitters. The company was started by a father and son, Don and Tim Symon, joined by a group of investors last year to accelerate growing the business at the Phillipstown site. So far, 14 whole-garment knitting machines, each fed by six to eight spools of yarn, are computer programmed to put out a garment every 50 minutes to 1.5 hours. About 500 to 700 garments are being made a week, with plans to step this up into a 24-hour shift operation to…

Police have arrested a man after a five-month-old baby sustained serious head injuries in Dargaville at the end of last year.The infant was initially taken to Dargaville Hospital on December 28, said Whangārei Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer.He was flown to Whangārei Hospital for treatment and later taken to Auckland’s Starship Hospital where he was discharged in January.Pilmer said the time it was “concerning” for investigators when anyone sustained serious injuries but these concerns heightened when they involved “some of our most vulnerable members of the community”.A 22-year-old man was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily…

Queenstown businesspeople sent a clear message to Wellington yesterday, via Act New Zealand leader and deputy prime minister-in-waiting David Seymour. In the resort with Regulation Ministry chief executive Grainne Moss to speak at a Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce lunch — largely focused on regulation — Mr Seymour was asked by Destination Queenstown chairman Richard Thomas to set the record straight with his colleagues. “This region wants to supercharge tourism and growth, but we need the public sector to pony up the infrastructure and the brick and mortar to enable us to do it. “We can’t do the roading and…

Mayor Tory Whanau and a group of councillors have called for Wellington Water chairperson Nick Leggett to be removed after a scathing report into the organisation. The council has written to the Wellington Water Committee following Monday’s release of reports showing unplanned water maintenance spending had risen dramatically compared to other councils across the country among issues at Wellington Water.The letter to the committee, signed by Whanau and 13 councillors and pouiwi, called for Leggett’s removal and requested refunds for ratepayers from contractors who allegedly overcharged for maintenance work.”The public response to the reports is one of anger and frustration.…

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian denounced US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement that the US is “prepared” to go to war with China following Beijing’s warning over escalating trade tensions. ADVERTISEMENTChina sharply criticised higher tariffs imposed by the US under the Trump administration, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian denouncing the move as a war that “should not be fought and cannot be won.”Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao echoed the sentiment: “Coercion and threats will not work on China, nor will they scare China. China’s determination to defend its own interests is unswerving,” Wang said, adding that “there…

A Tongan family whose eldest son is seriously ill say they have been left broken as they fight an order for deportation.Tina and Tafuna Vea’ila were served a deportation order at the end of last month but, whilst her husband has already been sent home, Tina remains in New Zealand with her two sons, one who is too sick to travel.The Auckland family’s lawyer said he had asked the Associate Immigration Minister to intervene.He said the children were born in New Zealand, the couple has paid taxes and had no criminal convictions. The family had lived in New Zealand for…

Protesters rallied outside the US embassy in Kyiv reiterating that one of the points of peace is the exchange of prisoners of war. ADVERTISEMENTA protest was held in front of the US Embassy in Kyiv on Thursday, demanding help in liberating Ukrainian prisoners of war held captive in Russia.People holding posters outside the embassy were joined by veterans of the war in Ukraine.Since the early days of the war, Russia and Ukraine have conducted prisoner of war exchanges, with the most recent one taking place in February. Ukraine has not disclosed the exact number of its POWs held by Russia,…