Author: Press Room

As the EU faces increasing security challenges, questions have arisen over whether France has the military capability to lead a joint defence initiative. ADVERTISEMENTFrench President Emmanuel Macron has positioned France at the heart of European rearmament initiatives, following signs of a rapprochement between the US and Russia. With the US scaling back its military protection of Europe and Russia posing a growing threat to the continent’s security, the EU is pushing for increased spending and the pooling of resources on joint defence projects among its members.However, despite Macron’s ambitions, there are questions over whether France’s army — which is the seventh…

The Government says its new replacement for the Resource Management Act will cut administrative and compliance costs by 45%.The Government will look to progress its reforms, introducing two Acts to replace the RMA by the end of 2025.RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Undersecretary Simon Court said replacing the RMA with law based on property rights would grow the economy and lift living standards.”The RMA is broken and everyone knows it. It makes it too hard to build the infrastructure and houses New Zealand desperately needs, too hard to use our abundant natural resources, and hasn’t resulted in better management…

A new draft law presented on Friday in Budapest would allow Hungary’s National Electoral Office to revoke the mandates of members of the European Parliament if they fail to comply with financial transparency rules. ADVERTISEMENTA draft law presented on Friday evening by MPs from Hungary’s ruling coalition Fidesz-KDNP party would beef up transparency rules for MEPs and threatens to target opposition leader Péter Magyar, according to Magyar himself and a political commentator.If approved, the new law would require all Hungarian MEPs to disclose their financial assets in a similar manner to their counterparts in the Hungarian Parliament.But the new law…

The spotlight is on shrinkflation – when a product becomes smaller but the price remains the same – after a damning inquiry into Australia’s supermarkets raised the issue.It’s led to calls for supermarkets to be more transparent on shrinkflation in New Zealand.Consumer NZ chief executive officer Jon Duffy said a notice on the shelf saying a product is smaller would help customers.“Just so that consumers coming to that product are aware that they perhaps should be looking at a competing product because they might be getting a better deal.”Stats NZ measures shrinkflation when it looks at prices – and has…

Police have appealed to two members of the public – a runner and a pedestrian – as part of their ongoing investigation into the unexplained death of a man in Miramar last week.Abdul Nabizadah, 63, was found with serious head injuries at the intersection of Camperdown Rd and Totara Rd around 2.20am on March 17.He was discovered by police carrying out area inquiries into a serious burglary that had occurred a short distance away around 20 minutes earlier.Nabizadah died in hospital and an unexplained death investigation was launched.Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard said police would like to hear from two men…

A man who was killed after an alleged drive-by shooting in Featherston on Saturday has today been named by police.He was Doreion Peri Ropata Hard, aged 23, from Masterton.Two men, aged 23 and 25, have appeared in the Wellington District Court today charged with murder, police said.Yesterday, witnesses told 1News they were forced to cower behind cars at FreshChoice Featherston when shots were fired at a vehicle leaving the carpark at around 4pm on Saturday.Shortly after the incident, Detective Inspector John van den Heuvel said a man was found near the Carterton New World with a gunshot wound a short…

Record high temperatures last year fuelled demand for air conditioning, in turn driving an increase in dirty coal-fired power generation in a dangerous feedback loop revealed by a new global survey from the International Energy Agency. ADVERTISEMENTThe rate of increase in global energy demand shot up last year, driving increased greenhouse gas emissions even with renewable energy and nuclear power supplying bulk of new electricity generation capacity.The International Energy Agency reported on Monday a 2.2% increase in global energy demand last year, almost double the average of 1.3% a year recorded in the decade to 2023. But electricity use saw…

Waimakariri district councillor Philip Redmond is keen to hear if Pegasus youth share his enthusiasm for flying foxes.The Waimakariri District Council plans to consult on proposals to create spaces for children and young people in the Pegasus township, with a budget of $192,515 proposed in the Long Term Plan.A double flying fox is one of the proposed options, and it has caught the attention of Redmond.‘‘The options look exciting to me. I think a flying fox is great, but what I might like isn’t necessarily what young people are into, so we need to hear from them,” he said.‘‘If a…

Hundreds turned out for the 130th Turangawaewae Regatta held in Ngāruawahia on the banks of the Waikato River over the weekend – the first hosted by Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.The all-day whānau-friendly event featured single-hull canoe racing, cultural and musical performances as well as market stalls and amusement rides. The tribe’s fleet of waka taua were also on parade.Rahui Papa, spokesperson for the Kiingitanga, said when the waka make their salute “they’re saluting everybody down the river” but a dignitary is usually on hand to receive it.“We’ve had ambassadors, we’ve had royalty and other corporate…

The fire’s impact raised concerns about the resilience of Britain’s energy system to accident, natural disaster or attack. ADVERTISEMENTBosses at London’s Heathrow Airport have defended their response to a fire that shut down Europe’s busiest air hub for almost a day, after the national energy system operator suggested the airport had enough electricity from other sources to keep running.More than 1,300 flights were cancelled on Friday after a fire knocked out one of the three electrical substations that supply Heathrow with power.Some 200,000 passengers had journeys disrupted and industry experts say the chaos will cost airlines tens of millions of euros.Operations resumed…