Author: Press Room

In the first Bundestag meeting since the ruling coalition collapsed last week, the leader of Germany’s largest opposition party laid out his plans for the country in a fiery debate. ADVERTISEMENTChancellor Olaf Scholz called for compromise in order to keep Germany functioning, as the leader of the opposition, Friederich Merz, kickstarted his own election campaign in an full first Bundestag meeting one week since Germany’s ruling coalition collapsed.Scholz, who was unusually defiant as he took the stand, appealed to his parliament to unify to pass through key outstanding bills, including on tax reforms and child benefit, before and after the…

A Kiwi start-up has achieved a “huge milestone” in its quest for fusion energy — by creating and confining plasma for the first time in New Zealand.”First plasma” is the moment a fusion device first creates and confines a super-hot cloud of ionised gas, with plasma being the necessary fuel to spark a fusion reaction.In other fusion concepts, plasma is contained by superconductors pushing a field inwards. This is notoriously difficult, and OpenStar’s key engineering innovation stemmed from inverting that process using an elegant solution inspired by nature; the levitated dipole.OpenStar chief executive and founder Ratu Mataira told Breakfast the…

NGO Sea-Watch alleges that the Italian coastguard’s failure to respond immediately to a shipwreck off Lampedusa led to the death of 21 migrants. ADVERTISEMENTThe migrant rescue charity Sea-Watch has filed a criminal complaint to Italian prosecutors accusing the nation’s coastguard of negligence and “multiple manslaughter” over its response to a shipwreck off the island of Lampedusa that left 21 people dead.The German NGO said it had asked the public prosecutor’s office in Agrigento, Sicily, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 21 migrants in a shipwreck involving a boat that had departed from Libya in early September.A Sea-Watch…

The largest distillery in New Zealand is here — and could become a “significant tourist attraction” for Central Otago in time, its co-founder says. After eight years in development, Scapegrace Distilling Co officially unveiled its $30million state-of-the art facility yesterday. The Central Otago distillery, located on a 38ha property overlooking Lake Dunstan, measures 3000sq m and comprises a head office, bottling facility, warehousing and barrel hall along with the newly completed distillery — which includes single-malt production and a white spirits portfolio of gin and vodka. The new facilities will allow Scapegrace to produce 160,000 cases of single-malt whisky a…

Thousands of people have marched across Auckland’s Harbour Bridge today to take part in the national Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi in opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill. The hīkoi left Onepoto Domain in Northcote earlier this morning before walking over the bridge with assistance from police and other agencies.Earlier this morning, two northbound lanes on the Harbour Bridge were closed to allow the hīkoi to travel by foot into the city.Some drivers waved flags and tooted their car horns in support. The Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi on the Auckland Harbour Bridge (Source: 1News)At some points, the bridged swayed due to…

President von der Leyen steps in to broker a deal among major groups and salvage the new Commission. ADVERTISEMENTPolitical manoeuvring between the key centre-right European People’s Party and the Socialist & Democrats has put the process of agreeing the next European Commission on ice as candidates remain subject to final approvals.All of the hearings of the candidates has now been staged, and evaluation letters are expected to be published on November 21 with the Parliament expected to vote in the Commission as a whole the following week.Each candidate needs the support of at least two-thirds of the European Parliament (EP)…

A lot of satisfied customers will experience events at Dunedin’s covered stadium before the competition from Christchurch gets going if Paul Doorn gets his way. Mr Doorn, the incoming chief executive of Dunedin Venues, wants to see a busy calendar of sporting fixtures, a variety of entertainment and fantastic fan experiences. He wants diversity and “anything that fills the stadium”. He will be in charge of Forsyth Barr Stadium, the Dunedin Centre, Town Hall and University Oval from December 1, taking over from Terry Davies. Mr Doorn was recruited from Australia, where he had been New South Wales Rugby and…

Residents around Sullivan Lake are bracing for another stench-filled summer from decaying vegetation and decomposing wildlife.Although Whakatane District council has set aside a budget to clean the lake, work to remove the Mexican water lily is not due to start until at least June next year.Brian Corbett has lived beside the lake for more than 20 years and been a member of the Sullivan Lake Care Group since 2013.”It’s got weed growing all over it. We have people coming to visit and they ask us, ‘whatever has happened to the lake?’ It used to be so attractive for visitors.”It’s getting…

Several regions of Spain are under orange or red weather alerts for heavy rain and storms just weeks after deadly flooding killed at least 220 people. ADVERTISEMENTThousands of people in southern Spain have been evacuated from their homes due to a red weather alert for heavy rain and storms, just a fortnight after the nation’s worst flooding in decades claimed at least 220 lives and caused widespread devastation.Emergency services in the Málaga region — which includes the tourist resorts of Marbella, Velez and Estepona — have moved around 3,000 people from houses at high risk of flooding located near the…

Crews are working towards reopening State Highway 6 between Haast and Lake Moeraki on the West Coast — even as more rough weather closes in for the region.Heavy rain, flooding, and slips hit Westland over the weekend, with a local state of emergency declared for part of the region, and the road network impacted.State Highway 6 between Haast and Lake Moeraki in South Westland remained fully closed asnd there were “a significant number” of slips around Knights Point and Moeraki.Rockfall and road movement occurred, the New Zealand Transport Agency said. Workers were removing loose rocks from the slope face above…