Author: Press Room

We are heading into the season of itchy eyes, runny noses and scratchy throats for many hay fever sufferers.Spring can bring a whole load of unwelcome symptoms, but new research has found that El Niño, a climate phenomenon, could be making Aucklanders’ allergies worse.Scientists analysed data from three Auckland summers, one that was El Niño, another La Niña and one neutral, with the findings revealing patterns that could help predict pollen seasons.Victoria University of Wellington professor Rewi Newnham told Morning Report it was the first time scientists had been able to link hay fever and the weather phenomenon.”There’s always been…

ADVERTISEMENT Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is under fire from opposition politicians who claim he incited the protests that stopped the final lap of cycling race La Vuelta a Espana. Last weekend, cyclists were stopped a mere 60 kilometres from the finish line because pro-Palestinian protesters knocked down barriers and occupied key sections of the route in central Madrid, including Gran Vía, one of the city’s busiest streets. The stage was ultimately cancelled due to safety concerns, with clashes breaking out between demonstrators and police. These left 22 officers injured and two people detained. Although Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard was…

A court order preventing media from sharing certain information about the Tom Phillips case remains in place.A High Court judge this morning heavily extended the suppression order, which was initially filed last week until today.The content of today’s hearing is heavily suppressed.Tom Phillips was fatally shot by police after they were called to reports of a burglary in the early hours of Monday, September 8. Phillips had been evading police since December 2021 with his three children.The confrontation that saw Phillips shot also saw a police officer badly injured after receiving gunshot wounds.The children are now in the care of…

Published on 18/09/2025 – 14:55 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Imports of pipeline gas to the EU dipped 9% year on year in the first half of 2025, following halting of Russian gas transit via Ukraine at the beginning of the year, according to a recent analysis, but the bloc has increased its reliance on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The uptake of energy efficient appliances and the growth of renewables contributed to cut the bloc’s gas consumption in recent years, according to the updated EU Gas Flows Tracker from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). However, while the EU is currently mulling how to stop the import…

Canterbury election candidates promising a 0% rate rise have been challenged to ‘”show us the money”.Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said his opponent will need to cut $6.37 million from the budget to keep a 0% rate rise promise.More than 50 people turned out at the Mandeville Sports Centre on Tuesday evening to hear from Waimakariri mayoral, Oxford-Ohoka ward, local community board and Environment Canterbury (ECan) candidates.A team of six candidates, known as Standing Together for Waimakariri and led by councillor and mayoral candidate Paul Williams, has been promising a 0% rate rise for the 2027/28 financial year.”Show us the money,”…

Published on 18/09/2025 – 14:03 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT The European Commission is monitoring the possible economic impact caused by the closure of all crossing points between Poland and Belarus, which has effectively shut down a traditional trade route between the bloc and China. “We are certainly looking at it closely, but it’s too early to go into further detail,” Olof Gill, the Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, said on Thursday. The Polish government decreed the complete closure this week in response to the large-scale military exercises conducted by the Belarusian and Russian forces, known as Zapad-2025, near the border with Poland and…

A Canterbury man says he is “devastated” after his late father’s car collection was lost in a blaze at Southbridge.Ben Lappage said his dad, who died in 2012, had been collecting cars for 30 to 40 years.He said contractors were on site at the time of the fire, and is “glad nobody was hurt”.The fire tore through two sheds on the property. The collection of cars and parts had significant sentimental value in his family.“One of the cars I was brought home from the hospital in. It’s memories like that you’ll never get back,” he said.Ben Lappage. (Source: 1News)“One of…

Two more people have been arrested after a gun was fired towards a vehicle in a carpark outside an Auckland supermarket on Tuesday night. It bring the total number of those charged over the incident to three. Police did not rule out further arrests. Police responded to reports of an “altercation” at a carpark in Hobsonville at around 4.40pm on Tuesday, where a gun was fired. “Police have executed search warrants at three addresses in West Auckland, seized three vehicles and a number of items of interest in the investigation,” Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Bunting said. A 20-year-old man was…

Published on 18/09/2025 – 11:23 GMT+2 •Updated 11:32 ADVERTISEMENT Romania’s President Nicușor Dan recently claimed that judges in his country work significantly more than their counterparts in other European states. “Judges in Romania have worked two or three times more than their counterparts in European countries over the years,” he said during a visit to Chișinău in Moldova. He made the comments in the context of a plan by the government to raise the retirement age for judges to 65 as part of a raft of austerity measures. As things stand, judges can retire as early as the age of…

New Zealand’s economy being in worse shape than expected — and suffering through a deeper and longer downturn than the global financial crisis — may mean more interest rate cuts.Stats NZ said on Thursday that gross domestic product (GDP) dropped 0.9% in the June quarter, a steeper contraction than had been expected.Economists said that had increased the chance that the Reserve Bank would need to cut the official cash rate (OCR) more than earlier expected, which could bring down home loan rates, too.Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold said it seemed more likely than not that the rate might have to…