All articles

Forest & Bird wants a major West Coast coal expansion rejected over risks to native wildlife, while Buller leaders warn that hundreds of local jobs are tied to the mine. The EPA has not rejected or approved the proposal. It has stopped the clock and asked Bathurst Resources for more information. Report by eLocal · The argument over coal mining on the Buller Plateaux presents New Zealand with a familiar conflict, but on an unusually large scale.…

ACT is promising to open more of New Zealand's electricity system to competition while rejecting calls to break up the country's major generator-retailers. The policy could give households and private investors more freedom to generate, sell and move electricity, but the central question is whether greater competition around the edges of the system will translate into lower costs, greater resilience and more generation for consumers Report by…

Subtitle · Biotechnology is moving beyond GM crops and into everyday products · Summary Intro · Dr Guy Hatchard argues that the debate over gene technology now extends far beyond genetically modified crops. He points to the growing use of biosynthetic compounds in cosmetics, food production, medicine and consumer products, questioning whether regulation and safety testing have kept pace. From hyaluronic acid to chemicals that alter fruit…

New Zealand abolished the crime of blasphemous libel in 2019, but a renewed debate over extending hate-speech protections to religion has raised a harder question: can the law protect religious people from hatred without protecting religious ideas from criticism or ridicule? Iranian-born lawyer and Free Speech Union Council member Samira Taghavi warns that the distinction can disappear once the state is given power to police offensive religious…

RT brings you special coverage of Russia's landmark electoral event as citizens vote in the first day of the State Duma elections. President Putin casts his ballot online, straight from the Kremlin. Authorities in Russia’s embattled new regions ensure citizens can vote safely as locals elect their representatives in the lower house of Parliament - for the first time since reunification with Russia. And, as the turnout surpasses 20-percent, we…

Almost half of Germans surveyed believe Chancellor Friedrich Merz will leave office before the end of 2026, as electoral setbacks, weak public approval and disputes over Germany’s economic direction intensify pressure on his government. But the poll measures public expectations, not whether Merz will actually be removed, and Germany’s constitutional system makes replacing a sitting chancellor considerably harder than the headline numbers suggest

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Bill Gates used the enormous financial resources of his foundation to exert what she described as “moral pressure” on governments to increase vaccine funding. Her account raises a wider question about democratic accountability when private foundations acquire influence comparable to governments, while Gates is separately defending a civil case in the Netherlands brought by plaintiffs alleging harm…

Yuliia Mendel once spoke for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Now sanctioned by his government and recently denied entry to the European Parliament, she has launched an extraordinary attack on her former boss, describing Ukraine’s decision to elect him as a form of national “suicide” INR Report: Based on reporting by RT HERE · A political relationship that began at the centre of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration has deteriorated into…

Closer Canadian-EU military-security coordination advances the US’ NATO 3.0 vision of allies taking on greater responsibilities in pursuit of shared interests, which in this case is containing Russia in the Arctic President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada to become an “associate member” of the bloc, the relationship of which doesn’t presently exist, during her state of the union address. While it’s unclear what…

Ukraine has previously targeted Russian election infrastructure with cyberattacks, including systems used for electronic voting. As Russia holds its 2026 State Duma election, new claims allege a broader Ukrainian and Western operation, but the evidence supports some parts of that account far more strongly than others. INR Report: Based on reporting by UkrLeaks for UkrLeaks Eng HERE · Russia is holding elections for its 450-seat State Duma from…