Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTUS Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is in Russia for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the third such meeting in a bid to get the Kremlin to accept a full ceasefire in Ukraine.Witkoff, who has been pressing the Kremlin to accept a truce, initially met with Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev. The meeting comes amid growing questions about Putin’s willingness to stop the more than three-year war.Earlier on Friday, US President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that “Russia has to get moving” towards ending the war, adding that it is “terrible and…

ADVERTISEMENTThe number of European companies unwittingly involved in business transactions with countries or entities subject to sanctionsis growing, with a notable surge taking place since 2022 and the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine.That uptick was first outlined in the “Kleptotrace” report by Transcrime, a research centre at the Catholic University of Milan, which was presented this week to Europol, the EU police cooperation agency based in The Hague. The study was co-funded by the European Union and focused mainly on sanctions imposed by the bloc on Russia and Kremlin-linked oligarchs since 2014, the year of Moscow’s unilateral annexation of…

Peri Drysdale’s eco-minded fashion business is on a runway heading towards a lighter touch on the planet, writes Tim Cronshaw. Smartly dressed in a two-tone merino outfit, Peri Drysdale reaches for a mineral water and takes a small sip. Her throat is hoarse from a four-hour talk earlier in the morning, recounting the passage of Untouched World, an ecologically sustainable clothing company launched nearly 30 years ago. Back at home base, the founder and chief executive relaxes in her award-winning cafe facing an outdoor courtyard. Above a mantelpiece is a large sculptural Māori kite, representing the close relationship between people and…

ADVERTISEMENTA Kremlin-linked oil tanker was detained by Estonian authorities on Friday just outside Tallinn, in what marks the first time the Baltic country has directly targeted Russia’s “shadow fleet”.The vessel, named the Kiwala, had been reportedly operating under the flag of Djibouti. However, it was caught not flying a flag, which is a violation of maritime law. Although the crew provided a flag certificate, the Djibouti naval authority said it could not find the Kiwala in its national registry.”Ships like this are actually not allowed to operate. Estonia exercised its right to detain the vessel for inspection,” Deputy Director General…

ADVERTISEMENTItaly on Friday transferred 40 migrants denied the right to remain in the country to Italian-managed detention centres in Albania — seemingly the first time an EU member state relocated rejected asylum seekers to a third place that is neither their country of origin nor a transit one.According to domestic media, the group departed from the port city of Brindisi, though authorities have yet to confirm the migrants’ nationalities or further details.The individuals are now being held at two Italian-built and operated facilities in Shëngjin and Gjadër, which were initially constructed to process asylum claims for migrants intercepted in the…

Waikato, the iwi and economic powerhouse, has teamed up with global trillion-dollar investor Brookfield Asset Management to further develop the tribe’s “super hub” in Hamilton.The Ruakura Superhub is a multi-use precinct the size of Auckland’s CBD and home to Hamilton’s inland port.Tukoroirangi Morgan, chairman of the tribe’s executive arm Te Arataura, said the partnership with Brookfield is “by far” the tribe’s “most significant” investment opportunity in the 30 years since their settlement.“I can tell you that across this country, other iwi will look at this and agree with us that actually, this is huge,” he said, “and to that extent,…

ADVERTISEMENTNATO and the EU have released lists of raw materials that are critical for defence purposes and technological resilience.  The land, naval, aerospace and guided weapons sectors all need these critical raw materials, according to a study from the think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).  A modern main battle tank uses raw materials in its sensors, weapons, armour, hull and communications.Sensors are increasingly complex and rely on a range of critical materials.   For instance, the basic glass and mirrors utilise silicon and ceramics, while infrared and night-vision sights – which are key enablers in low-visibility environments – can contain mercury, cadmium…

Residents of a remote Far North community say their water is at risk of contamination due to the illegal dumping of thousands of animal carcasses.The long-standing issue has been raised with Bay of Islands-Whangaroa community board member Roddy Hapati Pihema.Pihema said residents told him the dumping had taken place at Ruapekapeka Rd near Towai for the past 15 years.He said when he went to the site, he couldn’t believe his eyes.”Unfortunately when it rains, all of the bacteria ends up into the local stream and unfortunately for our families in Waiomio, they don’t have any mainline infrastructure and so they’re…

ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission and Ukraine’s government are entering full-fledged negotiations over a new trade deal, with agriculture emerging as the most contentious issue.Negotiations over a future free trade agreement continued this week following a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the EU-Ukraine Association Council.A 40-minute exchange on Thursday between EU agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen and his Ukrainian counterpart Vitalii Koval was described by an EU official as “frank and constructive.”Currently, trade between the two partners operates under the so-called Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs) regime, which temporarily suspends all tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports in response to Russia’s…

A former Auckland undertaker has been jailed for two years and three months after improperly handling human remains and deceiving people to buy vaccines for their dead loved ones.Fiona Bakulich, a former employee of Tipene Funerals, was also ordered to pay more than $16,900 in reparations.The 48-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges of interfering with human remains and 12 charges of obtaining by deception in February.Her offending related to 11 victims in total.However, at sentencing the Crown dropped one charge of interfering of human remains she had previously pleaded guilty to.She was required to correctly line and seal coffins with…