Author: Press Room

A Christchurch aerospace company has successfully launched its solar-powered aircraft from Banks Peninsula into the stratosphere for the first time. Taking off from the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre near Birdlings Flat, the Kea Atmos Mk1b UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) completed the milestone flight on Saturday.  The flight, conducted within Kea Aerospace’s special use airspace, reached an altitude of over 56,284ft (17155m). Kea Aerospace chief executive Mark Rocket said it marks another significant achievement for New Zealand’s aerospace sector. The mission started just after 8am and the flight lasted 8hr 20min. The plane flew 18.9 nautical miles (35km) from the take-off area, covering…

A New Zealand-led international naval task force has seized 2357kg of hashish on board a ship in the Middle East – its first drug bust this year.The US Coast Guard Cutter Emlen Tunnell was patrolling off the coast of Oman last week as part of Combined Task Force 150 when the crew spotted a “suspicious dhow transiting a well-known drug smuggling route”, the New Zealand Defence Force said today in a statement.A crew searched the vessel and discovered 2357kg of hashish on board.Combined Task Force 150 was one of five under the Combined Maritime Forces based in Bahrain — focused…

This article was originally published in French Female genital mutilation is a reality in Europe, with over 600,000 girls and women having been subjected to it. ADVERTISEMENTFemale genital mutilation (FGM) is a reality in Europe: 600,000 girls and women, mainly from Africa and Asia, have been been subjected to it. Worldwide, the figure is at 230 million.FGM refers to the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons.Various avenues for preventing this form of sexist and sexual violence were explored at a conference organised at the European Parliament last week.”It would be wrong to say that female…

Kāinga Ora is preparing to take a tougher line on rent debt.But, as it changes its approach, it will also write off about half of what is outstanding — because it says it partly contributed to the problem.Chief executive Matt Crockett said the total amount of rent debt had fallen from $21.6 million in January last year to $16.1m this year.He said progress was being made but it was not as much as Kāinga Ora would like and it was setting a 12-week limit on how much rent debt a tenant could be allowed to accumulate.He said more needed to…

The likelihood US President Donald Trump will see his Gaza plan through is slim, but does it have any standing from an international legal perspective? ADVERTISEMENTUS President Donald Trump sparked global controversy when he said the US would “take over the Gaza Strip” last week, stating he wished to turn the territory into a “Riviera of the Middle East.” Trump made those remarks during a press conference held alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the latter branding the idea “revolutionary” and “creative”. Trump has since doubled down on the idea, despite multiple attempts by members of his administration to walk…

An offender is on the run with an unspecified amount of cash after an armoured van was robbed while restocking an ATM on Auckland’s North Shore this afternoon.Security staff were delivering cash to the ATM machine on Birkenhead Ave when they were approached just before 2.30pm. Police did not say how robbery was carried out but said a person made off with money in a case.”No one has been injured, however, an unconfirmed amount of cash was stolen,” said acting Detective Inspector Simon Harrison.”The offender fled the immediate scene on foot and, at this stage, we believe he has left…

Over the past decade, EU exports to the US have surged by 44%. ADVERTISEMENTIn 2024, the US imported a total of just over €584 billion in goods from the EU.  April, July, and November were the top months for US imports, according to the US Census Bureau.Between 2014 and 2024, US imports from the EU grew by 44%.  On the other hand, the US exported around €357 billion in goods to the EU in 2024.  The top months were March, August, and November.In 2014, the US exported over €266 billion in goods to the EU, with the following 10 years seeing a 34%…

Westpac has bumped up its farmgate milk price forecast for this season by 30c to $10.30, citing resilience in world dairy prices and a lower New Zealand dollar. In an update yesterday, senior economist Michael Gordon said global dairy prices had generally held their ground and the dollar was helping to boost local returns. In December, Fonterra raised the midpoint of the 2024-25 season forecast farmgate milk price by 50c to $10, giving a forecast range of $9.50-$10.50. Mr Gordon said the last two GlobalDairyTrade auctions had seen a solid lift in dairy prices although that followed declines in the…

A person has been taken to Middlemore Hospital in a critical condition after an incident in a shipping container in South Auckland, Hato Hone St John has confirmed.One other person received moderate injuries and was treated at the scene by emergency services at about midday today.RNZ understood they were hired labourers from a housing company and were unloading marble from the container at a property on Chonny Court in Manurewa.Debris at the site. (Source: RNZ / Marika Khabazi)A spokesperson for the freight logistics company where the incident happened said WorkSafe was being made aware.WorkSafe confirmed it was notified and it…

“The EU cannot fill this gap left by others,” the European Commission told Euronews as disability NGOs seek emergency aid from Brussels after US President Donald Trump blocked international development projects. ADVERTISEMENTFunding of international humanitarian aid, including to Ukrainians harmed by the Russian war of aggression, has been severely hit by the dismantling of USAID under the Trump White House, but the European Union cannot fill the gap, the European Commission has acknowledged.  NGOs supporting people with disabilities in the Balkans and Eastern Europe have seen their work disrupted due to the US decision to halt foreign aid funding. In response,…