https://www.elocal.co.nz/Article/4669
Winner of the Franklin Writers Group short story competition: Heather McQuillan from Christchurch
Second place: Laura Pendergrast from Ngaruawahia
Laura
The Ukrainian military needs to pull back from Donbass for the peace process to move forward, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov has said. Talks between Moscow and Kiev will remain stalled until then, he told journalist Pavel Zarubin, adding that the Ukrainian government knows this. Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of talks, including with US mediation, since early 2025, when President Donald Trump returned to the White House.…
Source: By Alex Krainer · On Monday, 27 April, Britain’s king Charles III came to Washington for a four-day state visit to the United States hosted by President Donald Trump. His “majsesty,” is also known to his fans as late Jimmy Saville’s BFF and the brother of Jeffrey Epstein’s BFF Andrew, formerly known as prince. · Yesterday, Charles graced the joint session of U.S. Congress with an inspiring speech during which he found it appropriate to…
The Russian Defense Ministry has announced a two-day ceasefire on May 8–9 to mark the end of World War II in Europe, calling on Kiev to follow suit. It warned that any attempt to disrupt the celebrations, including a strike on Moscow, would be met with a retaliatory strike on the Ukrainian capital. The ministry pointed in particular to a statement made by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in…
At Acacia Cove Village, life doesn’t get smaller. It gets easier, more social, and a whole lot more enjoyable. With the day-to-day taken care of, your time becomes your own again. That means: · • more time to do what you enjoy • more opportunities to connect • more freedom to actually live · And then there’s the lifestyle. · As Bruce Cullington explains: · “Another really popular reason that people go to villages is because they offer…
Last week, elocal published Kiwibank’s latest economic update. On paper, the outlook suggested a fragile but emerging recovery. But for many New Zealanders reading it, that assessment landed very differently. · The reaction was immediate and, in many cases, blunt. “Fragile? It’s fked… I don’t know where they get recovery underway with all the closures and job losses. It’s horrendous.” · That response, while raw, reflects something increasingly…