Author: Press Room

There will be more cuts in spending and no new initiatives from public services as the Government books paint a bleak economic picture.Treasury released the Half Year Fiscal Update this afternoon, blowing many economic forecasts out of the water.Finance Minister Nicola Willis said “the downturn started earlier, was deeper and persisted for longer than previously expected”.It shows a much slower path for economic growth, unemployment to peak at 5.4% in the middle of next year and the Government’s debt path to be much steeper than previously thought.Finance Minister Nicola Willis said “the downturn started earlier, was deeper and persisted for…

The enlargement conclusions validated by ministers come a day before leaders of the Western Balkans and the European Union meet in Brussels. ADVERTISEMENTGeorgia and Turkey on Tuesday received stinging report cards from European Union ministers over their accession process, while Ukraine and Moldova mostly got gold stars.In enlargement conclusions released as they were meeting in Brussels, EU affairs ministers largely excoriated Turkey and Georgia for democratic backsliding, noting only very limited progress towards European integration.The bad pupilsThe only positive development ministers flagged on Georgia pertained to the economy where they noted “the moderate level of preparation and limited progress in…

Members of a south Auckland community are expressing concern about the loss of more than 20 car parks for road improvements.The removal of parks is part of Auckland Transport’s drive to reduce crashes at the Hill Rd and Claude Rd intersection in Manurewa, near the motorway onramp.The changes included traffic lights, to control the flow of traffic especially for drivers turning onto Hill or Claude Rd.Local board Manurewa chairperson Matt Winiata said they wondered why 23 parking spots needed to go.”We support the project and its aims but wonder if we couldn’t achieve the same outcomes without the loss of…

The clock is ticking on a legal deadline for the petroleum industry to deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure – a technology it has championed for decades – at an unprecedented scale by the end of the decade. ADVERTISEMENTThe International Association of Oil & Gas Producers Europe (IOGP Europe) has called for the EU to set up a ‘European CCS Bank’ offering public support through its multi-billion-euro Innovation Fund, acknowledging that carbon capture technology is ‘economically unviable’ as things stand.The scheme would be similar to a recently established ‘hydrogen bank’ that channels part of the €40-billion fund into schemes…

An error in a primary school’s Christmas present order meant 220 pupils were set to miss out on their end-of-year gift — but the community has come together in the ultimate display of the Christmas spirit.The Christmas Shoebox Project was a nationwide initiative to support families living in hardship. Donors provided a gift, that fitted in a shoebox, anonymously. They were given to children to take home at the end of the school year.Lower Hutt’s Naenae Primary School had only a third of its shoebox Christmas presents turn up due to a mistake on the spreadsheet.Initially, when the smaller number…

Teresa Anjinho, a human rights lawyer who previously served as Portugal’s deputy ombudsman, has gained MEPs’ support to succeed Ireland’s Emily O’Reilly probing maladministration in the EU bureaucracy. ADVERTISEMENTPortugal’s Teresa Anjinho was on Tuesday elected EU ombudsman, after fending off competition from five other rivals to gain support from members of the European Parliament (MEPs).She’ll succeed Emily O’Reilly, the Irishwoman who has for over a decade been responsible for probing maladministration in EU bodies such as the European Commission.At a 3 December hearing with MEPs, Anjinho pledged to “ensure that our EU administration adheres to the highest standards of transparency,…

Four teenagers have been arrested after they allegedly robbed a Whangārei liquor store armed with hammers and knives over the weekend.Police received a report of a group of people armed with weapons going into the store on Kamo Rd at around 1.40pm on Sunday.Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said cash, alcohol and cigarettes were targeted by the group.”The offenders fled in a stolen car prior to police arrival, which was abandoned shortly after.”A police dog then tracked from the stolen car to a nearby Kamo address where police executed a search warrant.”Three people were taken into custody at the…

The European Commission has launched formal proceedings against TikTok over potential breaches of the Digital Services Act, following evidence of Russian interference in Romania’s election. The EC is gathering data to determine if TikTok violated EU law. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission announced today the opening of formal proceedings against TikTok, suspected of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA) by not adequately mitigating risks linked to the integrity of Romania’s election.The Romanian presidential election on 24 November saw the unexpected victory in the first round of Georgescu, an independent nationalist and Eurosceptic candidate who was previously little known to the public. The…

The Government is making changes to the Accredited Employer visa to make it easier for businesses to hire migrants.Cabinet has also agreed in principle to bring in two new seasonal visas from late 2025.The AEWV changes, taking effect from March, included:Removing the median wage threshold, so jobs will not need to pay the median wage or higher to be eligible for the visaReducing the minimum experience requirement for lower-skilled migrants to two yearsVisas for new applicants in lower-skilled ANZCO level 4-5 roles will last three years, instead of two — aligning with the maximum continuous stayAEWV applicants will have work…

Minister Botchorishvili emphasized peaceful reconciliation for Georgia’s territorial integrity, addressed EU membership aspirations, and responded to recent protests and criticism. ADVERTISEMENTEuronews: Welcome to the programme, Minister. It’s great to have you on.Maka Botchorishvili: Hello. Thank you for inviting. Thank you for your interest.Euronews: Now, you have been in office just for a few weeks. What are your first impressions?Botchorishvili: Well, first days in the office – not an easy period for Georgia. We have plenty of challenges that we face. And of course, we have to handle this situation. I had a couple of possibilities to meet my colleagues, and…