Five major unions take the Government to court over pay equity
Trump and Putin are meeting in Alaska this morning to hopefully discuss peace and a ceasefire deal for Ukraine. Ukraine is not present at the meeting and was not invited.
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RNZ News
a minute ago
- RNZ News
Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records to remain sealed, judge rules
By Luc Cohen , Reuters Financier Jeffrey Epstein was indicted on sex trafficking charges. Photo: AFP PHOTO / NEW YORK STATE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY/HANDOUT A United States judge has denied the Justice Department's bid to unseal records from the grand jury that indicted the late financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges. Manhattan-based US District Judge Richard Berman's decision came as President Donald Trump tries to quell discontent from his conservative base of supporters over his administration's handling of the case. Trump, a Republican, had promised to make public Epstein-related files if reelected and accused Democrats of covering up the truth. But in July, the Justice Department declined to release any more material from its investigation of the case and said a previously touted Epstein client list did not exist, angering Trump's supporters. Evidence seen and heard by grand juries, which operate behind closed doors to prevent interference in criminal investigations, cannot be released without a judge's approval. Trump in July instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek court approval for the release of grand jury material from Epstein's case. The grand jury that indicted Epstein heard from just one witness, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Justice Department said in a court filing in July. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty. His death in jail and his friendships with the wealthy and powerful sparked conspiracy theories that other prominent people were involved in his alleged crimes and that he was murdered. The New York City chief medical examiner determined that Epstein's death was a suicide by hanging. On 11 August, a different Manhattan-based judge, Paul Engelmayer, denied a similar request by the Justice Department to unseal grand jury testimony and exhibits from the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime girlfriend. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence following her 2021 conviction for recruiting underage girls for Epstein to abuse. Engelmayer wrote that the public would not learn anything new from the release of materials from Maxwell's grand jury because much of the evidence was made public at her monthlong trial four years ago. The grand jury testimony contained no evidence of others besides Epstein and Maxwell who had sexual contact with minors, Engelmayer wrote. Maxwell had pleaded not guilty. After losing an appeal, she has asked the US Supreme Court to review her case. In July, a Florida judge rejected the administration's request to unseal grand jury records from federal investigations there into Epstein in 2005 and 2007. Epstein served a 13-month sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to a state-level prostitution charge as part of a deal now widely regarded as too lenient. - Reuters
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Officials don't know if NZ is on US priority weapons trading partners list
In April, US President Donald Trump ordered a "list of priority partners" for arms transfers be drawn up within 60 days. Photo: NurPhoto via AFP New Zealand officials say they do not know who is on the United States' list of priority partners for trading weapons with, and have had zero input to it. In April, US President Donald Trump ordered a "list of priority partners" for arms transfers be drawn up within 60 days. His directive talked about giving partners help with financing and more flexible contracts, but also of "priority" partners having to share the cost of production more - "strengthening allied burden-sharing". New Zealand has joined several recent initiatives designed to boost America's military industrial base, but officials did not express any interest in the priority partner list. "Given this is an internal US government directive, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is not aware of what countries are on this list," MFAT told RNZ. "We would not speculate further." US diplomatic missions were going to be updated about the priority list, Trump's directive said. These US moves and others to free up space technology trade so far primarily benefit its AUKUS Pillar two partners Australia and the United Kingdom. The NZ Defence Force is competing to get arms under its new $12 billion Defence Capability Plan in a world market where military spending is surging. The NZDF talked with US lawmakers in April about potential opportunities to buy from the US, Official Information Act papers showed. A foreign arms sales taskforce newly set up by Trump said it sought international input before launching its first six initiatives last month, including new legislation aimed to help lower the barriers that limit the proliferation of high-tech arms. MFAT said: "New Zealand has not had any input into the taskforce." Asked if the government was doing anything about getting on the priority list or helping local companies onto it, MFAT said: "New Zealand has not had any input into the US Foreign Arms Sales Task Force, including on the ITAR Licensing Reform Act. "Officials are monitoring developments." The move on ITAR - International Traffic in Arms Regulations - was designed to free up licensing of defence deals primarily between the AUKUS Pillar Two partners Australia, the US and UK, and possibly over time with Canada, official US papers said. The US recently also moved to free up space-related trade, such as in satellites technology. This has substantial overlap with defence but includes science and commercial sectors. It was "taking a bold step forward in fostering a strong space industrial base", an official close to Trump said . "The changes will strengthen international alliances" while maintaining stringer controls on sensitive technology. Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom were again at the front of the queue in these space trade moves, though Canada is not part of AUKUS. However, one move - to remove licence requirements for exports of certain spacecraft components - applied to over 40 allies and partners. It is not clear if NZ was one of those. The government here is closely attuned to the international space trade and has had talks with the US about streamlining and aligning regulations, papers showed. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to the Editor: sea lions, health and Trump
Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including what comes around for the killers of sea lions, funding our public health system, and a simple solution to Trump. You don't see them in the supermarket queue Several days ago three sea lions were shot at the Waitaki River mouth. To the person/persons responsible for this act, do you go fishing in the vicinity of the river mouth? Were you getting annoyed because the sea lions were catching more fish than you and you decided to do something about them? When you approached the sea lions and stood with your loaded weapon, feeling only anger towards them, why didn't you stop, admire, consider what the consequences of your actions would be and walk past? The sea lion's world is the ocean and this is where they get their food. They take only what they need to survive. You don't see them down the seafood aisle at a supermarket. Your actions have taken away something special from the coast for reasons known only to you. However, what goes around comes around. Carrying the cost In its first days, National gave landlords a $3 billion tax break. Soon after, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced $14.7b in tax relief over four years—then borrowed $12b to cover the revenue shortfall. Despite this, Willis speaks of "balancing the books" while reframing the narrative to blame the previous government. The reality is that her early decisions created a $17.7b revenue black hole, forcing cuts across essential programmes. These cuts disproportionately harm those on low incomes, people at risk of discrimination, and the most vulnerable in our communities. Jobs have been lost, projects scrapped, and hopes for pay equity abandoned — all because of reckless tax and borrowing choices. Willis' approach prioritises short-term political gain over long-term stability, leaving ordinary New Zealanders to carry the cost. RUCs and reasons Why have a tax specifically for roads at all? We don't do it for other government services such as health, education. The only difference is private industry benefits directly from roads, and use and damage roads more. Scrap RUCs on all vehicles below X tonnes. That makes the majority of private motor vehicles RUC-free; eliminates the need for further public sector staffing, systems and policing. It still ensures the private sector mostly pays their way. The 80/20 rule. Roading is less than 3% of total government spend. Why further bloat and complicate the public service unnecessarily. Is it a jobs scheme for the usual suspects? Lights, revisited Back up the bus, my train of thought has proven to be off track. My previous tale (Letters ODT 22.7.25) may have been a tad too thoughtless. Some sod has turned a sod, well several sods. There is now one worksite in Tomahawk which has broken ground, digging to lay solid foundations. There is one new street light beside the work site, which surely completely justifies the turning on of all 22 new street lights. Although I have yet to hear evidence of workers working by the streetlight. I still wake up early each morning, look out the kitchen window, and ponder the extravagance of lighting fields of green. If we assume 200W of power for each light then 200 x 21 (leaving out one semi useful light) gives us 4.2kW of power running all night. The Aurora website has handy hints for saving power. I know the new lights are LED (an Aurora website recommendation for power saving) but how about switching off the ones not needed? If we want a health system, fund it properly In the last two months I have had to be taken twice to the Dunedin Hospital emergency department. In each case I could certainly see, after the event, that it was not strictly necessary, but that did not seem to be true at the time. On each occasion, the treatment that I experienced was the best I could possibly have expected or wished for. When I tried to thank all the staff that had helped me, on the feedback comments I found that many of the responses that had been received were very critical, almost always in similar ways. For example, 'I had to wait (some long time) to get any help", or "I had to leave before any special treatment had been given to me". We really ought to ask ourselves how a critically under-resourced (and yet extremely good) service can be expected to operate in the way we would like. If we are not prepared to fund our public health service adequately, what do we think will happen? I simply want to acknowledge just how special the doctors, nurses, and other staff are. With friends like these who needs enemies Donald Trump demonstrates a mind-boggling lack of ability to assess character and human values in people. He has befriended two of the world's most dangerous, cruel and evil leaders: Putin and Netanyahu. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of historical events, they in no way exonerate these heads of state for the atrocities they are now committing. Both dictatorial despots are responsible for the mass killing of thousands of innocent men, women and children and the annihilation of large parts of their countries . Putin invaded Ukraine supposedly only interested in military targets. In his deranged mind he keeps blaming Ukraine. The only plus is that Trump may have realised Putin was playing him for a fool. Netanayhu continues to blast the life and livelihoods out of the Palestinians in the Gaza strip on the pretext of eliminating Hamas and getting them to release Israeli hostages The clumsy method of doing this (indiscriminate bombardment and shelling) is entirely consistent with the "asleep at the wheel" state of the supposedly sophisticated Israeli military allowing Hamas to invade in the first place. Blaming Hamas for the current trickle of aid and food getting to Gaza, the killing of citizens at aid stations , and the malnutrition crisis just demonstrates how mentally deranged and dishonest Netanyahu and his entourage are . Both Putin and Netanyahu are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Neither of them want peace — they are intent on bludgeoning their target country to submission. Simple solution If Donald Trump is really serious about getting criminality out of Washington DC, there is one simple, effective and incredibly popular action he could take. Five-letter word beginning in L. Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@
