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 fallout from war between the United States, Israel and Iran has dominated global oil markets. And not just because the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about 20% of global oil and gas, remains effectively closed to shipping traffic. · Author Flavio Macau - Associate Dean - School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University · Deep uncertainty about how long the disruption will continue has added a persistent “risk premium” – an…
Peter Magyar claims his party’s election win has “liberated” the state broadcaster from airing “propaganda” · Tisza party leader Peter Magyar, slated to become the next Hungarian Prime Minister, Budapest, April 13, 2026. © Jakub Porzycki / Anadolu via Getty Images · Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Peter Magyar, has pledged to suspend the news operations of the state broadcaster following two tense interviews he gave on…
The US president again slammed the military bloc for not aiding Washington during the war on Iran · © Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images · US President Donald Trump has again lashed out against NATO, stressing that he does not need its help in the Strait of Hormuz, and saying that the military bloc was “useless when needed” during the war on Iran. · On Friday afternoon, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that…
The latest polling analysis reported by Radio New Zealand shows a continued decline in support for the National Party, with the governing coalition now trailing the combined left bloc. Recent data indicates National is hovering around the 30% mark, while Labour and its potential coalition partners are collectively polling higher — enough to form government if replicated at an election. ([The Guardian][1]) · This shift marks a notable change in…
Ximena Nelson, University of Canterbury -Ximena Nelson, CC BY-NC-ND · Bruce the kea is missing his entire upper beak. Yet he is the alpha bird of his circus (the apt collective noun for a group of New Zealand’s famously playful alpine parrots). · As our latest research shows, Bruce achieved his alpha status not despite his disability, but because of it. · In a remarkable example of behavioural innovation, he has developed a novel…