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Guy Hatchard argues that New Zealand’s latest mortality figures should be treated as a warning sign, with deaths rising in the year to June 2026 while birth and fertility rates continue to fall. Pointing to excess mortality, cardiac and cancer concerns and unprecedented pressure from winter illness, he calls for Health NZ to investigate health outcomes by age, vaccination status and disease type, and make the findings public. The year ended…

Freedom (NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party) has announced Alistair Wait as its Northland electorate and list candidate. A researcher and teacher of constitutional history, common law, equity and tikanga Māori, Wait says his decision to enter electoral politics reflects an opportunity to campaign for direct democracy, meaningful constitutional change and greater political authority for New Zealanders. 21st August, 2026. · Freedom (NZ Outdoors &…

New Zealand's health system is under significant pressure as the country's winter influenza outbreak drives Auckland flu hospitalisations to their highest level in a decade. Health NZ says additional staff, beds and national coordination measures are now being deployed, although frontline workers report capacity remains extremely tight. eLocal Report: Based on reporting by RNZ HERE · New Zealand's winter flu outbreak is placing pressure across…

New Zealand has virtually everything we associate with a functioning democracy: free elections, universal suffrage, MMP, parliamentary debate, select committees, public submissions and even the ability of citizens to force a referendum. Yet a landmark peer-reviewed study of American policymaking raises an uncomfortable question for New Zealand. Having all the machinery of democracy does not necessarily mean ordinary citizens determine what that…

Russia says it will continue retaliating against Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova insisting Moscow does not seek escalation but will respond to threats against civilians and infrastructure. Her warning comes amid another major exchange of long-range drone and missile strikes between Russia and Ukraine. INR Report: Based on reporting by RT HERE. · Moscow Says "Escalation Is Not Our…

Russian researchers have developed an experimental Alzheimer’s treatment that takes a markedly different approach to the disease — filtering potentially harmful inflammation-related material from patients’ blood. A small pilot study reportedly produced improvements in memory, attention and everyday functioning, although researchers stress that larger clinical trials are required before the treatment’s safety and effectiveness can be established.

Russia has issued a stark warning to Britain over its support for Ukrainian long-range drone operations, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying direct British involvement in strikes against Russian territory could be treated as participation in the conflict. The warning follows reports that British-made drones have been used to attack Russian oil refineries and other targets hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine. INR Report: Based on…

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency raids the deputy head of Zelensky’s office, while a major bank chief is also dismissed amid a money-laundering investigation. Iran accuses Washington of “economic warfare” after Donald Trump threatens consequences for countries trading with Tehran. Meanwhile, Israel’s military has reportedly acknowledged its soldiers opened fire in the 2024 incident that killed six-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza, whose desperate…

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is facing what several major Western media organisations describe as his most serious domestic political challenge since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. A new corruption investigation inside his presidential office, combined with a former defence minister publicly calling for elections, has intensified scrutiny of Zelensky's leadership and Ukraine's wartime governance. INR Report: Based on…

Vladimir Putin says Moscow’s economy is showing resilience to the wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s energy and trade infrastructure. More heads roll in Kiev as Ukraine's anti-corruption agency links a high-ranking member of Vladimir Zelensky's own office to the country's largest ongoing corruption case as part of its 'Forrest Gump' operation. The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office has been sacked. And that's the message a…