Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTSecretary of State Marco Rubio has reassured NATO allies of the US’ commitment to the military transatlantic alliance at his first meeting of NATO foreign affairs ministers, while recalling Donald Trump’s message that the European countries and Canada need to further increase defence spending.  “The United States President Trump’s made clear he supports NATO, we’re going to remain in NATO,” Rubio told reporters in Brussels, stressing that the US wants the alliance to be stronger against any potential threat. “The only way NATO can get stronger and more viable is if our partners, the nation states that comprise this important alliance, have…

Westpac’s chief economist has thrown a cat among the forecasting pigeons by saying the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) should not cut the benchmark official cash rate (OCR) at next week’s monetary review.Kelly Eckhold said he expected the RBNZ will go ahead with a smaller sized cut of 25 basis points to 3.5%, because it had already strongly hinted a further cut would happen when it reduced the OCR in February by a third consecutive 50 point cut.But he has questioned whether another cut is needed or should be delivered right now.”This OCR cut is likely the wrong thing to do.”Eckhold said…

ADVERTISEMENTThe prime target of US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs is European regulation rather than EU tariffs on American imports, according to MEP Bernd Lange (Germany/S&D) the chair of the European Parliament’s Trade Committee, but EU law is non-negotiable, he said.“[In this report,] you find 30 pages about the EU,” Lange said, citing a report from the US Trade Representative, claiming that this is “more or less a comprehensive overview of our legislation. This is an indication that the president Trump is not looking on tariffs.”According to the MEP, the only justification proffered by Trump’s team to arrive a figure…

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell has shared some of the profanity-laden online abuse she has received over a sewerage pipe near a sacred lake.It came after a protester’s emotional outburst in a public meeting, criticising Tapsell for the council’s handling of the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme.The $32 million project will connect about 440 Lake Tarawera households to the public wastewater network and aims to reduce lake pollution from septic tanks.On Tuesday, the Environment Court dismissed applications to halt construction of the final 1.4km of pipeline past Lake Rotokākahi.The council has said it now intends to restart work as soon as possible.Mana whenua…

ADVERTISEMENTSocial media users are claiming that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have come out against a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, as talks to bring about a temporary halt stall.One post on X says that the countries are “afraid” that an “undefeated” Russian army will invade them once a ceasefire is reached in Ukraine.Another says that the Baltic states believe a ceasefire would give Moscow time to rearm and turn its attention to its borders with NATO.Others share images that appear to depict Russian forces advancing towards Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.But the spirit of many of these posts ranges from…

The deaths of a British couple found dead at a home in the Wellington suburb of Roseneath are being treated as a suspected murder-suicide, police confirmed this evening. Their bodies were found after a concerned family member asked police to carry out a welfare check at the Palliser Rd property around 10.25pm on Monday. “Police are providing support to the family at the centre of this tragic event,” police said. “The family have requested privacy as they grieve their loss.”A neighbour earlier told RNZ the couple had fallen in love with the country and had plans to make their stay…

ADVERTISEMENTDiversifying trade exchanges away from Russia and China and boosting diplomatic ties will be the main items on the agenda at the first-ever EU-Central Asia summit later this week with human rights issues and Russia sanctions circumvention likely to be relegated to the footnote.The European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, will travel to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Thursday, hoping to deepen energy and critical raw materials partnerships with the resource-rich region. The leaders of the Central Asian bloc, which also includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, will meanwhile hope to secure investments in…

A New Zealand man has been charged after allegedly assaulting three people at Sydney Airport earlier this week.The Australian Federal Police (AFP) responded to a report of an assault in the international departure terminal on Tuesday afternoon.The 37-year-old allegedly assaulted an airline employee before assaulting two more people, an AFP spokesperson said.”A crowd of people in the terminal then stepped in to restrain the man until the AFP arrived.”He was arrested, taken to hospital for assessment, and then released into police custody where he was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of common…

ADVERTISEMENTEuropean companies should not feel compelled to abandon their values, management practices, or commitment to diversity and workplace care, French Green MEP Majdouline Sbai tells Radio Schuman today.Her remarks came in response to letters from the US administration to several European embassies, urging suppliers to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures to maintain their contracts in the US. This move follows the Trump administration’s broader efforts to dismantle DEI policies across federal agencies, contractors, the private sector, universities, and international grant recipients. The strongest responses came from France and Belgium, with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Jan Jambon asserting that…

Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand will not be placing retaliatory tariffs on the United States in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ moves.New Zealand faces a tariff of 10%, on the low end of what Trump calls “reciprocal tariffs” for 185 countries across the world. Speaking to reporters at Parliament today, McClay said it was important to note many countries were facing much higher rates than New Zealand.”It’s very clear that the US, although they’re putting a tariff rate in place, has viewed New Zealand and our trading relationship as well balanced.”There’s good and bad…