Pacific Waves for 18 July 2025
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RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Trump arrives in Scotland for golf and bilateral talks as EU trade deal nears
By Andrea Shalal and Andrew MacAskill , Reuters US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters / Umit Bektas US President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein , arrived in Scotland for some golf and bilateral talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union. Trump told reporters before leaving the US that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland and meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Scottish leader John Swinney. Trump said he and Starmer would discuss the US-British trade deal and perhaps even "improve" it, but gave no details. He said Washington was also working hard on a possible trade deal with the European Union, which he said was very keen to make a deal. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said later she would meet Trump in Scotland on Sunday. EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15 percent tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework agreement with Japan reached this week and half of the 30 percent Trump is threatening to impose by 1 August. Trump has sought to reorder the global economy after imposing a 10 percent tariff on nearly all trading partners in April and threatening sharply higher rates for many countries to kick in a week from now. Trump says the moves will reduce the US trade deficit and bring in extra revenue, but economists warn the new trade policies could drive up inflation. The Republican president faces the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term in office. Allies and opponents alike have criticised his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials, frustrated by the ongoing focus on the Epstein saga, are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said. As part of the visit, Trump will open a second 18-hole course on the Aberdeen property named in honour of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to America. As he left the White House, Trump told reporters that he looked forward to meeting both Starmer and Swinney, who had publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election. "We have a lot of things in Scotland. I have a lot of love - my mother was born in Scotland," he said. "The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him," Trump said. The trip, initially billed as a private visit, gives Trump and Starmer a chance to deepen their already warm relationship, with key issues on the agenda to include ending Russia's war in Ukraine, British and US sources said. British officials have been heartened by what they see as a clear shift in Trump's rhetoric on Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks, a British source said. The deteriorating situation in Gaza is also likely to come up. Starmer on Thursday said he would hold an emergency call with France and Germany over what he called the "unspeakable and indefensible" suffering and starvation being reported there, and called on Israel to allow aid to enter the Palestinian enclave. Gaza health authorities say more than 100 people have died from starvation, most of them in recent weeks. Human rights groups have said mass starvation is spreading even as tonnes of food and other supplies sit untouched just outside the territory. Since being elected last year, Starmer has prioritised good relations with Trump, stressing the importance of Britain's defense and security alliance with the US and being careful to avoid openly criticizing Trump's tariff policies. Britain sealed the first tariff-reduction deal with the US in May, which reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the UK's aerospace sector, but left steel tariffs in place. Starmer is expected to press for lower steel tariffs, but sources close to the matter said it was unclear if any breakthrough was possible during Trump's visit. Trump has described Scotland as a "very special place" and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his first run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70 percent of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Trump, while 18 percent have a favourable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. Scottish police are girding for protests on Saturday in both Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, the country's capital. Trump will return to Britain from September 17-19 for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make Trump the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. The late Queen Elizabeth hosted him at Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019. - Reuters
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Professional firefighters' union members reject pay offer of 5.1% over three years
The union says 99 percent of members who attended meetings rejected the offer and voted for strike action. Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal The union for career firefighters has rejected Fire and Emergency New Zealand's latest pay offer of a 5.1 percent pay increase over the next three years. FENZ deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said they felt the offer, along with some increases to some allowances, was "fair" and balanced the cost of living pressures of staff alongside fiscal pressures faced by the agency. New Zealand Professional Firefighters' Union (NZPFU) national secretary Wattie Watson said 99 percent of members who attended meetings had voted to reject the offer, and voted for industrial action. Watson said it was an "appalling offer" that failed to address any of their concerns about the health and safety and the state of fire appliances. They had been bargaining since the middle of last year, and firefighters had not had a pay increase since July 2023, she said. Due to the delays, the 5.1 percent would not cover the lack of any pay increases for the past two years, Watson said. FENZ said collective agreement settlement in 2022 had provided a wage increase of up to 24 percent over a three-year period for career firefighters. However Watson said that settlement covered some of the years leading up to the settlement, and only covered wage increases until 2023. She added that that increase was for correcting decades of firefighters being underpaid. "That pay increase was a result of a process including government involvement, where it was proven that our members were so significantly underpaid when compared to other external workforces, and internally in FENZ - with corporate staff and HR staff - that there needed to be a significant uplift," she said. Meanwhile, FENZ maintained that it had invested significantly in its people and resources. "Fire and Emergency has also been investing in replacing our fleet, with 317 trucks replaced since 2017 and another 70 on order. We are currently spending over $20 million per year on replacement trucks. There is also a significant programme of station upgrades underway, as well as investment in training," Stiffler said. Watson however said that the 317 trucks mostly went to rural fire stations, and that currently the appliances at career fire stations in the urban areas were in a "dismal" state. Watson said career fire stations were expecting to get 40 trucks in the next few months, however testing had discovered that many had problems and none were ready for commissioning, Watson said. Trucks had been breaking down on their way to jobs, and pumps had also been breaking down - putting firefighters and the public at risk, she said. Members deserved a reasonable pay increase that recognised the cost of living pressures, and a package that also addressed the safety concerns, Watson said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Govt orders Sport NZ to scrap transgender inclusion guidelines
money sport 31 minutes ago NZ First's spoken about defunding sporting bodies that support trans inclusion - but its 2023 manifesto also spoke about making people healthier by promoting exercise and sport programmes including 'assisting people into sport that can't be involved' - surely those two sentiments juxtapose each other.
