Author: Press Room

Citizens in traditional US ally countries such as the United Kingdom, South Korea, and EU member states express greater doubts about the future of a Trump administration compared to the rest of the world, according to a new global survey. ADVERTISEMENTUS allies in Europe are the most pessimistic about the future global order under Donald Trump’s leadership, a survey conducted for the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and Oxford University’s Europe report reveals today. In the EU and UK, the majority of people view a second Trump administration as detrimental to American citizens, their own countries, and the resolution of…

A decision to disband Auckland Council’s lead urban regeneration agency could mean some communities miss out on valuable investments, a councillor says.At a governing body meeting on December 12, councillors voted in favour of structural changes to council-controlled organisations (CCOs).This included disbanding Eke Panuku and transferring its responsibilities to council by July.Manurewa-Papakura councillor Angela Dalton said she heavily opposed the decision.She was away on personal leave when the governing body met.”Eke Panuku filled a valuable hole left from legacy councils who were responsible for placemaking in their respective council areas,” she said.”Without Eke Panuku, suburbs who have benefited from regeneration…

Misinformation is often spread regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine to sway public opinion about support for Kyiv and put pressure on western governments. ADVERTISEMENTAn image doing the rounds on social media allegedly shows a list of US politicians, including President Joe Biden, who have received bribes in return for support for Ukraine.Text accompanying the list claims that a Ukrainian official released the names, as well as the amounts that each person has supposedly received.Biden has allegedly received $92 million (€89.6 million), for example, while former speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has taken home $86 million, and former…

Police are investigating what is believed to be arson after a fire near Raglan Airfield “spread rapidly” due to dry conditions.Emergency services were notified of the fire just after 5pm yesterday.Police said the fire’s rapid spread threatened nearby campgrounds and infrastructure.”Fortunately, the fire was extinguished a short time later, with no damage to any property.”Police would like to speak to anyone who was in the Marine Parade area around 5pm yesterday, or anyone who had CCTV footage around the area during that time.Information could be provided by calling 105 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is recovering from a severe case of pneumonia but will not attend the weekly meeting of Commissioners. ADVERTISEMENTThe president of the European Commission is on the mend and expected to resume in-person appointments soon, amid criticism over lack of communication about her condition over the past week.Ursula von der Leyen will not chair this week’s College of Commissioners on Wednesday and has asked executive vice president Teresa Ribera to step in, a Commission spokesperson confirmed on Monday, adding that “the president is recovering well”.Currently recuperating at her residence in Hannover, Germany, Von der…

Police across New Zealand have observed a minute of silence in honour of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming who was killed in Nelson in the early hours of New Year’s Day.The 62-year-old was one of two officers struck by a vehicle in Nelson’s Buxton Square at around 2am on January 1. She died later that day of her injuries, making her the first New Zealand policewoman to be killed in the line of duty.The minute’s silence at 1pm today marked 24 hours before Fleming will be farewelled at a funeral service in Nelson with full police honours.A floral tribute outside Nelson…

The 32 NATO allies will likely decide to increase the defence spending benchmark from the current 2% of GDP during a summit in The Hague in June. ADVERTISEMENTNATO member states will have to find ways to increase joint purchases and use existing infrastructure, or face an increase in defence spending of up to 3.7% of their GDP. The transatlantic military alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, told the European Parliament on Monday.”If you do joint buying and use the NSPA (NATO Support and Procurement Agency) and everything else within NATO and the EU, then you can deduct joint buying, you can…

Local health experts are reconsidering their approach to obesity as new research criticises doctors’ reliance on the body mass index.The paper, published in prestigious medical journal The Lancet, said the typical approach to diagnosing obesity was ineffective and prone to misdiagnosis.Researchers criticised the definition of obesity being tied to BMI – a measurement of height and weight – as opposed to more accurate measurements of a person’s fat, muscle, and bone mass.”BMI was never really designed to diagnose an individual’s health status, it was really developed to help us monitor big changes across population groups,” Massey University Māori Health and…

More animals are continuing to be killed as a precautionary measure in Germany a few days after the first outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in more than 35 years. ADVERTISEMENTOn Monday, 55 goats and sheep and three cattle were slaughtered as a precautionary measure on a farm in Schöneiche in Germany’s Brandenburg state days after a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak was confirmed.The affected farm had purchased hay from a buffalo farm in Hönow a few days prior, where the disease was first reported and confirmed. A 72-hour ban on transporting cows, pigs, sheep, goats and other animals was immediately put…

The owners of a holiday home destroyed in a landslide at a Victorian tourism hotspot say they are grateful no one died in the emergency and have engaged lawyers.Nick and Kellie Moran’s property at Penny Lane at McCrae on the Mornington Peninsula crashed down a hill shortly before 9am on Tuesday. It happened just a week after the family escaped another slip at the $2 million property that pushed earth and trees up against their house, reaching almost as high as the gutter.A council worker, aged in his 50s, suffered lower body injuries in the collapse on Tuesday while doing…