Author: Press Room
The decision by US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth to remove an infantry brigade in Romania has reignited fears about a troop pullback away from Europe by the US administration, even as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine. While most European allies understand that the US will be pivoting to Asia to counter China’s growing influence, experts warn that a sudden, uncoordinated retreat could undermine European security and embolden Russia. Europeans are rushing to rearm at the fastest pace since the end of the Cold War. Last Wednesday, the United States announced an infantry brigade stationed mainly in…
A long-awaited expansion of Nelson Hospital’s emergency department has been opened today, but the head of the department says unless more staff are hired soon, they won’t be able to use the extra capacity. The ED expansion includes six new beds and consultation space and while the largest section was opened today by Health Minister Simeon Brown, it wouldn’t be fully operational until April. Head of the ED Dr Harriet Harper says it will increase capacity from 23 beds to 29. “We’ll have a bit more wiggle room to do our core emergency work rather than having to see people…
Christchurch Airport is preparing for record-breaking international passenger arrivals landing this summer. Overall international capacity is up 15% on last season which places the airport ahead of passenger traffic before Covid. The season started on Saturday with the arrival of passengers on a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou, followed by Cathay Pacific’s return from Hong Kong yesterday. Airport managers are crediting the strong growth to long-standing relationships developed with airline partners. Many airlines are opting to fly earlier and more often or have introduced larger aircraft to boost seat numbers for travellers and exporters. Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin…
“Dangerous” measures to remove fallen trees in Otago and Southland have become the biggest long-term concern after last week’s devastating windstorm.Logger Mike Hurring told 1News he and his team of 60 expected to take a year to get a “good hold” on the sudden workload.One farm he attended this week was that of Bryce Clark, whose cattle yards were mostly destroyed by fallen tree trunks.”I couldn’t believe it. We’ve had the odd tree come down every now and again, but this is beyond any scale that we’ve had before,” Clark said.He had more than $100,000 of damage to his property…
Costs of specialists court reports have gone up by over 60% in the past five years, with one lawyer saying she was quoted nearly $16,000 for a single report – four times the usual amount. A lack of psychiatrists means private providers are being called upon, in some cases costing thousands of dollars more and often paid for by the taxpayer.Since 2020, costs for specialists reports, including those for mental health, has jumped from $14.7 million to $23.7 million this year.It’s believed a lot of the cost is funded by legal aid, which is funded by taxpayers. The Government said…
An investigation is underway after workers at an Auckland business discovered 36kg of cocaine – worth around $12.6 million – stashed inside a container.Detective Senior Sergeant Jason Hunt said staff working at the Auckland premises were unloading legitimate goods shipped from Brazil when the cocaine was discovered.”It was in the bags on top of the legitimate product in the container.”Police were then contacted, and detectives from the National Organised Crime Group seized the drugs, valued at around $12.6 million.The container was shipped from Brazil and contained legitimate product, police said. (Source: New Zealand Police)Hunt said it was a prime example…
Key diary dates Tuesday 4 November: Euronews’ Enlargement Summit European Commission presents 2025 Enlargement package Meeting of Environment ministers Wednesday 5 November: The Budget Committee will exchange views with Commissioner Piotr Serafin on the EU’s next long-term budget, the Interinstitutional Agreement, and the Own Resources Decision. In spotlight On Tuesday, the European Commission will present the 2025 enlargement package, an annual report assessing the progress made by candidate countries to join the EU candidates to the European Union. This year, the package will include the “pre-enlargement policy review” on the reforms that established member states should adopt to accommodate the…
Ten crews of firefighters are tackling a large house fire in the Wellington suburb of Island Bay this evening.Fire and Emergency NZ crews were called to the scene on High St at 6.50pm.”Conditions are very windy, and firefighters are working on the Esplanade as well as on High St,” a Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1News. “People are asked to stay well away from the area. Residents affected by smoke should close doors and windows to avoid exposure.”The cause of the fire has not been established but it is reported to have begun in a garage and spread to a…
By Euronews Published on 03/11/2025 – 13:39 GMT+1 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that he will take part in Euronews’ unprecedented European Enlargement Summit on 4 November in Brussels, to debate Europe’s strategic enlargement process, its challenges and benefits, and the complex paths ahead. A unique European political event, the Euronews summit will, for the first time, bring together leaders of both the EU and a number of candidate countries in a groundbreaking debate on Europe’s enlargement process towards the East, at a crucial moment for the European Union and the candidate states, from Ukraine and Moldova to the Western…
It might still be too early for some, but with Halloween over, Christmas is well and truly on the way, and a wave of misinformation about the festive season is also on its way. A picture going around online and shared on social media in multiple European languages, allegedly shows a small German Christmas market surrounded by police, vehicles and fences. The captions shared with the photo lament that Christmas markets in Europe now have to be so heavily protected from terrorist attacks, with some baselessly blaming immigration or “diversity”. However, the image has clearly been AI-generated: zooming into people’s…