Author: Press Room

Russia’s suspected provocations, including drone incursions and the recent bombing of a Polish rail line, are changing warfare doctrines, European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius said on Euronews’ flagship programme The Europe Conversation. “What we have seen from a technical point of view is that we do not have enough detection capabilities, we have no cost-effective means to destroy drones,” he said. Here, he referred to the fact that drones with a value of around €10,000 are being shot down by €1 million missiles. “That’s not the best way to defend yourself,” Kubilius added. “It shows that our way of…

Auckland’s mayor has hit out at the government’s rates cap, saying the strategy “won’t work” .The government is setting a target range of 2% to 4% increases – with councils having to appeal to a regulator if they want to go higher.The cap would take effect from January 1 2027.Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown took aim at the policy.”How else does the government think we’re going to pay for what Auckland needs and for things like the City Rail Link – which were the result of decisions made by previous governments and councils?”Councils are faced with making decisions that involve significant…

Single women are turning to reverse mortgages as a way to get more cash flow in retirement – and some commentators say it may sometimes be because the adjustment to a “single” pension rate is too tough.Professor Graham Squires from Lincoln University has conducted research on reverse mortgages in New Zealand.”This research has not been conducted in New Zealand before, and it is timely given the trajectory of our ageing population and the financial pressures retirees face,” he said.He said while reverse mortgages were relatively niche, only offered by Heartland Bank and Southland Building Society, they could become more common.”Reverse…

Heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds are expected for much of the North Island tomorrow and Thursday, with several warnings issued for multiple regions. According to MetService, an active low-pressure system was expected to move onto central and northern New Zealand tomorrow before moving east on Thursday. “The system is expected to bring heavy rain with thunderstorms and strong winds,” MetService said. An orange rain warning had been issued for the entire Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua, lasting 22 hours from 2am to midnight tomorrow. Residents could expect 80 to 120mm of rain with peak intensities of 15 to 25…

Wellington City Council is installing motion-activated cameras after a spate of vandalism which appeared to target mountain bikers on Matairangi Mt Victoria.The council said over the last few days, logs, stumps and other obstacles had been placed on several mountain bike priority trails in locations where they could cause serious injury if hit by a mountain biker.Wellington City Council parks and open spaces manager Bradley Schroder said police had been notified of the vandalism and cameras which would be installed, adjacent to the bike trails with the aim of identifying the culprits.Schroder said timber had been fastened to trees at…

The New Zealand Defence Force is continuing to provide training to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in counter explosive ordnance measures and drone warfare – over three and a half years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.The Defence Force said under Operation Tīeke, up to 100 personnel across land, maritime and air are deployed to the UK and Europe to deliver training.Personnel also undertake command and liaison roles at multinational headquarters.The Defence Force said it has been working with partners to deliver core soldiering skills in the UK and is also offering specialist skills training throughout Europe.New Zealand joint…

The demolition of the Gordon Wilson Flats will begin later this month, expected to be the end of a long-running saga over the derelict “eyesore” ex-public housing units. Victoria University today confirmed a contractor was about to be appointed, with work anticipated to begin this month. Chief operating officer Tina Wakefield said: “There is significant work ahead to ensure that the demolition will be carried out with the utmost care, beginning with site preparation work in the coming weeks.”We recognise and understand that demolition work may be disruptive for our neighbours, and we are fully committed to keeping them informed…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has secured a revised $3 billion contract with the US Navy, including approximately $1 billion in compensation, after the original 2020 agreement for 10 frigates was scaled back to just two vessels. The rescheduling, announced on 26 November, came ahead of Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting of defence ministers in Brussels, where military support for Ukraine and defence readiness will be discussed. Under the revised deal, two Constellation-class frigates already under construction will be completed, but four additional units previously commissioned will be discontinued. The remaining vessels will be replaced by smaller ships for amphibious operations,…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has labelled the conduct of Labour MPs “unbecoming” after a fiery Scrutiny Week appearance which saw accusations of name-calling and conspiracy-thinking.Under questioning in the meeting, Willis also confirmed the government had no intention of buying offshore carbon credits to meet the 2030 Paris agreement as part of a “performative awards ceremony” even if that meant it would breach its commitment.Christmas cheer? From the meeting’s outset, the exchanges were heated. Labour’s finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds asked Willis to explain why she claimed infrastructure spending was increasing despite that not being the case in the most recent financial…

Published on 02/12/2025 – 9:29 GMT+1 Europeans need to have their own peace plan for Ukraine and stop waiting on the Americans to take all the initiative, European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius told Euronews’ Europe Today programme on Tuesday. “We need perhaps to overcome some kind of our mental problems that usually we’re awaiting when some plans will come from Washington,” Kubilius said. “It would be very good for us to have our own plan and then you know to compare with (the) American plan to see what is good, what we want to discuss,” he added. “I think…