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A Hague-based arbitration tribunal has rejected Ukrainian maritime claims against Russia, including attempts to challenge Moscow’s sovereignty over Crimea and surrounding waters. Ukraine launched the case in 2016 before the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Kiev argued that Crimea remained Ukrainian territory and claimed that the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait should be treated as…

The US and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to end the hostilities in the Middle East, following weeks of direct and indirect negotiations mediated by Pakistan. A formal ceremony to sign the Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will take place in Geneva on Friday. According to Washington, the deal was signed digitally over the weekend. The text of the agreement has not yet been released to the public, while Tehran and Washington…

Tehran warns that violence against Lebanon must be halted if any peace deal with Washington is to progress - that's as negotiations are scheduled to take place later this week in Geneva. · The US-Israeli war on Iran is also a key topic in bilateral talks between the top Russian and Turkish diplomats, with Sergey Lavrov stating the Middle East remains a powder keg as big issues have not been resolved. · On American soil, Iran secures a hard…

The Free Speech Union has welcomed ACT's commitment to stop professional regulators policing the lawful opinions of the people they license, and is calling on every party in Parliament to support the same principle - pointing to new polling that shows strong, cross-party public backing. Professional regulators were set up to ensure consumer protection and competence. Guarding against bad medical practice, dodgy legal advice, dishonesty, and…

A Kaikohe man has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of multiple sexual offences against a child. Report by elocal · Mitchell Nield was convicted by a jury in April on one charge of indecent assault, one representative charge of unlawful sexual connection and two additional charges of unlawful sexual connection following a lengthy court process that spanned more than two years. · The sentencing adds to a…

Report by elocal · Jury Hears Secret Recordings Recovered By Police · The trial surrounding the death of 70-year-old Chinese national Shulai Wang took a dramatic turn this week as jurors heard recordings allegedly captured inside the Gulf Harbour property where Wang spent her final days. · The recordings, recovered from a laptop seized by police, were played in the High Court at Auckland as prosecutors continued presenting their case against…

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford has launched an extraordinary public criticism of officials within Immigration New Zealand and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), following the collapse of a technology project that consumed more than $31 million and delivered no operational outcome. Report by elocal · The comments follow the release of an independent review into Immigration New Zealand's Biometric Capability Upgrade…

For now, fuel is still moving around the country and there are no immediate signs of supply shortages. However, there are a few unusual vessel movements and some interesting international developments worth keeping an eye on. As always, the shipping picture tells part of the story — and the conversations amongst our Marsden Point Radio subscribers often help fill in the gaps. · Marsden Point Looking Ahead · The next scheduled arrivals into…

In Kiev, a historic monastery goes up in flames with Ukraine and its sponsors accusing Moscow of taking aim. Russia's defence ministry says the church was hit by Kiev's own air defences gone awry. · A crystal clear message. Peace with Iran cannot be brokered without Lebanon as part of the deal. That's as Tehran and Washington are set to sign a finalised agreement this Friday. And, that's as Israel insists it will not comply with the peace deal…

Iran is poised to gradually return to the US-led Western order within certain limits exactly as Iran’s moderate faction has long wanted, its hardline faction has successfully preserved the armed forces and their missile stockpile, while Israel achieved none of its goals in its most epic defeat ever Andrew Korybko · Iran and the US plan to sign a Zarif-inspired memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the Third Gulf War this Friday in…