Author: Press Room

A mix of political instability, inflation, and perceived crime and violence has driven France’s confidence to the bottom. According to a recent IPSOS poll of thirty countries, a striking 92% of French people believe their country is going off the rails. Moreover, almost one in three respondents claims the decline is irreversible But the French are not alone. Widespread pessimism is also apparent in all surveyed European countries, including the Netherlands (83%), Hungary (80%), Germany (77%), Italy (73%), the UK (73%) and Sweden (72%), meaning the vast majority believe the country is on the wrong path. Do French voters no…

Dr Mawera Karetai didn’t erect a single billboard or spend a cent on her Māori ward election campaign in the Bay of Plenty – so it came as a shock when she actually won.Karetai had even quipped she’d rather “eat my own eyeballs” than run, but her teenage son’s passionate campaign for Māori wards helped persuade her.In the course of the mother-son campaign, Karetai became the new Kōhi Māori councillor for Bay of Plenty Regional Council.She said she was surprised to win the seat as she only stood for the position as a platform to speak about Māori wards.”It was…

Published on 05/11/2025 – 14:34 GMT+1 Imagine having a croissant for breakfast in Paris and gazpacho for lunch in Madrid – thanks to a six-hour train ride. That might soon be possible under the European Commission’s plan to develop new and faster railway connections across the continent. “High-speed rail are still concentrated today in just a few member states: Spain, France, Italy and Germany. While Central and Eastern Europe remain unfortunately still poorly connected,” EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas said on Wednesday after outlining the European executive’s vision for faster and potentially cheaper train journeys across…

Police say they have not found a woman who disappeared in Auckland more than two months ago, but they are committed to finding answers.Te Anihana Pomana, also known as Ani Anderson, went missing on August 21 after leaving SkyCity Hotel in the early hours of the morning.The 25-year-old was seen on CCTV heading towards Victoria Street West in the central city before she vanished.Te Anihana Beau Pomana was last seen leaving SkyCity in central Auckland. (Source: Supplied)Police last month said Pomana had withdrawn cash before her disappearance, and that her bank account had not been used since.She had left all…

European environment ministers backed on Wednesday a watered-down revision of the EU’s climate law after the inclusion of several flexibilities meant to help member states cut 90% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040. The revised legislation is a compromise that the Danish Presidency, which is helming the EU27 bloc, felt necessary to close the deal. “We’ve listened and worked with all parties around the table that brought us to a very good compromise,” Climate Action European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told reporters. “We have agreed to a legally binding headline 2040 target of -90%, with a domestic target of 85%…

Feral deer in South Westland are devouring native forest, farm pasture and profits – but the Department of Conservation has neither the budget nor a plan to do anything about it.The West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board was warned this month that the deer problem is escalating in the region.Board member Dr Barry Wards who has advocated for a Department of Conservation deer policy, suggested the Board should think about pushing for a better management options.“Just to get a bit more awareness of the status quo, and whether there’s some opportunity for more integrated management; it’s quite fragmented at the…

Published on 05/11/2025 – 12:02 GMT+1 Germany should deliver long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, and NATO allies must increase deliveries to help Ukrainians defend themselves against Russian missiles and drones, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Euronews in an interview. Rasmussen, who was NATO chief from 2010 to 2014 after serving as the prime minister of Denmark, suggested that NATO allies need to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring him to the negotiating table, although at the moment Putin has no motive to do so. “President Putin has no incentive whatsoever to engage constructively in…

Government ministers have confirmed they are considering measures to move homeless people out of Auckland’s city centre – but the exact details remain unclear.Opposition parties and housing advocates have raised alarm over the prospect of an effective ban in homeless people in CBDs, warning that such an approach only displaces the problem and causes more harm.Asked about the possibility on Tuesday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Parliament there had been “no Cabinet decisions or discussion” on the topic.But on Wednesday, he told reporters the Government was in discussion with “lots of different stakeholders” in Auckland to improve the state of…

A resource consent for a service station to be built on some of New Zealand’s most fertile soils, beside the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, has been lodged with the Hastings District Council.Hamachek Holdings’ plans for the site on the corner of State Highway 2 and Evenden Rd, Twyford, include a truck stop, service station, retail service area, café and fruit shop facilities.A public notice of the project said about 29,570m3 of earthworks would be required to build the centre.It would have four-lanes of pumps at a truck stop, eight lanes of pumps on a service station forecourt, underground petrol and diesel…

Australian mining company Santana Minerals has secured a key permit for a vast gold mine near Cromwell in Central Otago.New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals, part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, has granted a 30-year mining permit that gives Santana Minerals full legal rights to extract gold for its Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project.Santana Minerals said the permit was one of the two key approvals needed to start work on the mine.The company, through its New Zealand subsidiary Matakanui Gold, also formally lodged a fast-track application for environmental and development consents this week.Some Central Otago locals are fiercely opposed to…