Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

With the release of its new National Security Strategy (NSS), the United States — the world’s most powerful nation — has officially abandoned the global-hegemony doctrine that defined the post-Cold War order. · For the first time since 1945, Washington is no longer claiming the mantle of global policeman, architect of the “rules-based international order,” or moral crusader for universal liberal democracy. Instead, the U.S. has accepted —…

The RMA is important. It is New Zealand's biggest regulatory tax and the most significant handbrake on our country's economic prosperity and living standards. · Yesterday 100 journalists and analysts worked through the Government’s just-released replacement to the RMA. · Planning law is inherently difficult, detailed, and technical. Having only had the material for a few hours, we don’t pretend to have our head around all the detail – but I…

It may not be generally known that, immediately after WWII, as many as 48,000 volunteers, both Jews and non-Jews, from 59 nations arrived in Israel to fight for its independence. About 90% of Israel's fledging Air Force pilots were new arrivals – the often-overlooked heroes of their time. In many Western countries, the present cohort of military-age young people generally seems to display an ignorance of integrity, the indispensable value of…

Stats NZ has delivered a run of unexpectedly positive data across housing, exports and retail, a sign the economy may finally be stabilising after two years of strain. New home consents rose 6.2 percent in the year to October, driven almost entirely by townhouses, flats and apartments. Higher-density homes accounted for nearly 18,000 consents, with Auckland producing half the national lift. · October alone saw a 23.5 percent jump in consents…

You will receive numerous compliments on your Christmas Gingerbread truffles to every event you take them to. Every Christmas, family, friends and even co-workers ask me to make these. · They are super easy to make but look and taste amazing! · Ingredients · - 400 grams  white chocolate, chopped - 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger - 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves - 285 grams dark…

For years, governments insisted they were “following the science.” But science does not stand still, and it certainly does not bow to political pressure. Now, as new studies challenge the assumptions that drove the global COVID-19 response, the world is being forced to confront an uncomfortable truth: many of the policies that reshaped economies, societies, and democracies were based on data that is no longer standing up to scrutiny. What was…

Salad is an obvious thing to eat in the summer, and the humble beetroot is often an overlooked star as the main ingredient. Incorporate nuts and seeds and this is a filling, tasty alternative to the more often used green leafy summer salads. · The caraway here gives the dish a Germanic flavour. · Ingredients: · - 165g spelt (get the type of spelt that is unhulled, not the type marked ‘pearled’) - 2½ tbsp olive oil - juice of 1 lemon - 1½ tsp…

The discovery of multiple Asian yellow-legged hornet queens and nests across Glenfield has triggered warnings that New Zealand is running out of time to stop the pest from becoming permanent. Experts say MPI’s current containment zone is far too small for a species known overseas to spread tens of kilometres a year, and early signs suggest the Auckland incursion is already larger than first thought. · Hornets devastate honey bees, crops, and…

At long last, a government has acknowledged what households have been screaming for years: council rates are out of control, and ordinary New Zealanders are paying the price. The National Government’s announcement of a maximum 4% annual rates cap is more than a policy change — it is a badly needed circuit-breaker for a country that has become unaffordable, uncompetitive, and, for many families, simply unlivable. This move, paired with the…

Early on Halloween morning, Kash Patel made a big announcement. “The FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack,” he said. Except there was one problem: criminal charges had not yet been filed and local police were left in the dark. · Catching wind of their impending arrests, two alleged co-conspirators in the Islamic State-inspired plot to blow up a Michigan gay bar brought forward their getaway plans. · One suspect from New Jersey made it to…