Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTThe US and Ukraine have signed a memorandum of intent with the goal of finalising a “formal agreement on economic partnership and reconstruction investment fund,” concerning mineral exploitation, according to a document seen by Euronews.The one-page document, signed by Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko and US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent on Thursday evening, says that a key round of negotiations will happen in Washington between 21 and 26 April. By that time, it is expected that both sides will have reached a general agreement to finally sign off on the deal. “Without prejudice to any remaining political or…

One person has died in a single-vehicle crash in Northland this afternoon in the first fatality of the preliminary Easter road toll.Police were called to State Highway 12 near Ruawai at around 2pm on Friday.”The sole occupant of the vehicle died at the scene,” a police spokesperson said.St John responded to the crash with two ambulances, while Fire and Emergency NZ responded with one truck from Ruawai.The NZ Transport Agency said the highway was closed between the intersections of Simpson Rd and Te Kowhai Rd.Inspector Peter McKennie of the national road policing team said safety should be top of mind…

ADVERTISEMENTFollowing the news that US President Donald Trump had imposed tariffs on most of the world, markets went into freefall.On so-called ‘liberation day,’ on April 2, Trump announced sweeping taxes on imports that triggered market crashes in the US and Asia. After the US president suspended the tariffs for 90 days, prices bounced back slightly and have been extremely volatile since.Trillions were wiped off the stock market after tariff announcements. The biggest losers were undoubtedly billionaires, who saw billions wiped off their market value, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.But…

Double convicted murderer Mark Lundy will be released from prison next month after more than 23 years behind bars, but he will not walk free.Lundy was convicted in 2002 for the killing of his wife Christine and daughter Amber in Palmerston North in 2000 and was sentenced to life with a 20-year non parole period.In 2013, the Privy Council quashed the convictions and ordered a retrial. Two years later, he was convicted again, and the original sentence was reimposed.The double-murderer says once free, he’d like to go to church and make clocks (Source: 1News)He became eligible for parole in 2023…

Households hooked up to reticulated gas are facing average price increases of 10% to their energy bills, according to Consumer New Zealand.Residential users must pay a fixed daily charge for gas as well as electricity, which can make gas uneconomical if a household is not using it for heating, water and the stove.The Eady family from Wellington was paying about $30 a month for the daily line charge but just $5 on actual gas consumption because it was just their stove connected to gas.Ditching gas was a “no brainer”, said Jason Eady.“We were just giving the money for nothing to…

ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez are among the latest voices to support the idea of a European army to ensure a credible and lasting peace in the continent. “It is time to create a European army, EU armed forces with troops from all 27 member countries, working under a single flag with the same objectives,” Sánchez said. “This is the only way that we become a true union.” On paper, the concept is attractive. It could boost the interoperability of military systems, weapons, and forces, and would also involve a joint command structure to improve coordination among…

ADVERTISEMENTFrom the moment Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, Apple leader Tim Cook, and Google chief Sundar Pichai were seen taking prime seats at the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January it was clear that the relationship of US Big Tech with the White House would be tighter in Trump’s second term.Many of these executives had called Trump out during his first term on issues such as climate change and immigration.This time around they were clearly in the house, led by SpaceX and Tesla boss Elon Musk, who spent nearly $300m helping the president’s campaign and has…

Tūranganui-a-Kiwa is one of two New Zealand locations selected to take part in a global climate adaptation initiative funded by the National Geographic Society.The Poverty Bay region and Tāhuna-Glenorchy, in the Queenstown Lakes District, join the three-year Preserving Legacies programme, alongside 10 other places and practices from across six continents.It is the first time projects from Aotearoa have been accepted.Led by National Geographic explorer Victoria Herrmann, the project encourages local communities and leaders to create climate action solutions for environmental protection and cultural preservation.Out of 150 applicants, Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust solidified Tūranganui-a-Kiwa’s place.According to its website, Rongowhakaata’s tribal rohe encompassed…

ADVERTISEMENTUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he has received information that China is supplying weapons to Russia, including gunpowder and artillery.”We have received information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation. And we are ready to talk about it in detail. Today, we have information from the security service, from intelligence, about gunpowder, artillery.”The Ukrainian leader did not expand in detail on the extent of Chinese support or the type of weapons being supplied, but says Kyiv will reveal its findings comprehensively next week.”I think we will be able to talk about this in great detail next week,…

An Australian company wanting to mine the South Taranaki seabed has asked New Zealand’s Government for a green light under its new Fast-track Approvals Act.Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR), now fully-owned by Australian gold and silver miners Manuka Resources, pulled out of an environmental hearing last year to instead seek permission to mine under the Government’s pro-development fast-track law.The company already had the go-ahead to suck up 50 million tonnes of sand every year from the South Taranaki seabed for 35 years, to extract valuable vanadium along with titanium and iron.It would vacuum up some 180,000 tonnes of sand a day during…