US President Donald Trump ordered the removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook “effective immediately” on Monday (local time), citing allegations of false statements on her mortgage agreements – and expanding pressure on the independent central bank. Referring to the Federal Reserve Act as justification, Trump wrote in a letter addressed to Cook: “I have determined that there is sufficient cause to remove you from your position.” A President is generally limited in their ability to remove officials from the central bank, with a Supreme Court order recently suggesting that Fed officials can only be removed for “cause”, which could be interpreted to mean wrongdoing. But the US leader pointed to a criminal referral dated August 15 from the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s director – a staunch ally of Trump – to the US Attorney-General in announcing that Cook would be removed from her role. The referral, Trump said, provided “sufficient reason” to believe Cook might have made “false statements” on one or more mortgage agreements. Earlier this month, Cook said in a statement that she had “no intention of being bullied to step down” but would take questions about her financial history seriously. The Fed did not immediately respond to queries on Trump’s announcement. - Agence France-Presse Read...

The Foreign Affairs Minister believes “providing a running commentary” on the unfolding Middle East situation is “unhelpful and counterproductive” while the Government considers recognising Palestinian statehood. “Mr Peters, who is responsible for taking a policy paper to Cabinet on this matter, prefers to be circumspect and careful at this time,” a statement from Winston Peters’ office said. The statement came amid some criticism – including from former Prime Minister Helen Clark – about New Zealand’s absence from an international statement on Israel’s West Bank settlement plans. (NZ has joined other statements on the conflict). But Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been vocal with his thoughts. Last week, he expressed concern about Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and its approval of the settlements in the occupied West Bank. On Sunday, he called for “unfettered access” to Gaza for humanitarian agencies. There has been distance previously between Peters and Luxon concerning Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Luxon this month said Netanyahu had “lost the plot”, which Peters said was “not language I use”. The Government is considering the question of recognising Palestine as a state, with a decision to be made before the UN General Assembly meeting in September. Peters has said it is a matter of when, not if, NZ recognises Palestine. Ministers have been cautious in giving details about what conditions are necessary before recognising Palestine as a state and have noted the decision is complex and requires discussion within Cabinet. Luxon has said the Government won’t recognise “a state that has Hamas in it”, while Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour has said a starting point could be to consider the views of others in the Middle East, including that Hamas would need to release hostages and demilitarise. While Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters believes a running commentary is `unhelpful`, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been open with his views. Photo / Mark Mitchell In a statement to media, a spokesperson for Peters reiterated the minister, his team and officials were “carefully gathering information about the situation on the ground, how other countries are approaching the matter and the diverse views within NZ society and the Coalition”. “Mr Peters holds the view that providing a running commentary on the situation on the ground in the Middle East while the Government is considering this matter is unhelpful and counterproductive,” Peters’ office said. “Indeed, parts of the NZ media have been quick to interpret comments by other members of the Government as indicating a preference for one position or other on recognition.” The office said it was Peters who is responsible for taking a paper to Cabinet on this matter and he prefers to be “circumspect and careful at this time”. He also wishes to “respect the process he has set up to listen carefully to the views of New Zealanders, his coalition partners and different members of the international community”. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters wishes to be `circumspect and careful at this time`. Photo / Mark Mitchell Last Friday, a number of Foreign Ministers from countries like Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement criticising Israel’s approval of settlement construction in the E1 area east of Jerusalem. New Zealand didn’t join up to that statement, which Clark said was “humiliating”. However, Clark did share another statement that same day stating NZ was a party to urging Israel to allow journalists access to Gaza and protection there. Luxon was critical last Friday of Israel’s latest offensive in Gaza and the approval of settlements. “We’re now seeing settlements taking place in the West Bank, and settlement activity there is illegal under international law, and NZ has opposed it for a long period of time,” the Prime Minister said. “You’re seeing now very public statements coming out from Israeli ministers, saying they... Read...

Two weather systems are forecast to sweep across New Zealand, bringing rain and wind before spring’s arrival.  MetService forecaster Luis Fernandes told the Herald a low-pressure system would pass across the top of the North Island today.  “It is going to result in a fairly wet day for Northland, through Auckland and the Coromandel, through to the Bay of Plenty and all the way down to Gisborne,” he said.  ??Weather outlook for the weekWhilst we have been experiencing relatively settled winter conditions across Aotearoa New Zealand recently, there are some changes coming this week as we move closer to the start of meteorological spring.The upper North Island can expect rain and… pic.twitter.com/5FSTvWTg8q— MetService (@MetService) August 25, 2025 MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for Tairawhiti north of Gisborne city from 6am until midnight tonight.  Fernandes said the low would bring strong winds for much of the affected areas.  A strong wind watch is already in place for eastern areas of Northland and Great Barrier Island until 3pm with gusts forecast to reach 100km/h in some areas.  “Things for that region will clear off quite a bit by the time we reach Thursday.”  ???Severe Weather UpdateWatches are in place across the country as a result of the rain band from the north and a front moving up from the south later this week????For the North, there is a Heavy Rain Watch out for the Gisborne region with rainfall amounts approaching… pic.twitter.com/YVHhp2Udtq— MetService (@MetService) August 26, 2025 The bottom half of the North Island and much of the South Island will have clear skies.  However, by Thursday evening, a new front bringing heavy rain and strong winds will make its way up the country, starting from the south of the South Island.  “The front is quite fast-moving,” Fernandes said.  “While it sweeps across the South Island on Thursday morning, by the time we get to late evening on Thursday, it’s already pushing on to much of the western North Island.  “In Auckland, you will already start getting rain late Thursday evening, all the way down to Taranaki.”  MetService has issued heavy rain and strong wind watches for Fiordland and the Otago lakes and rivers from late Thursday evening until about midday Friday.  According to its severe weather forecast, there is a moderate chance these watches will be upgraded to warnings.  David Williams is an Auckland-based Multimedia Journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.  Read...

One of Wellington’s most successful breweries, Fortune Favours, is ending operations and closing its brew bar only a day after winning first place at the country’s biggest beer festival.  After nearly a decade brewing in the capital, owners Shannon Thorpe and Dale Cooper announced the business was no longer financially sustainable.  “Unfortunately, the cost of living crisis has proven too difficult for us to navigate. We’re down 20% on last year, which was already 25% down on the year before,” a post on the company’s social media read.  Since starting in 2016, the company has brewed over 500 unique blends, including New Zealand’s strongest beer.  On Tuesday, its Wairarapa IPA was named the top-praised beer at Wellington’s Beervana event.  The inner-city brewpub on Leeds St will close its doors for the final time on August 31.  “We’ve loved our 8 years here [...] without your support Fortune Favours would not be the brand that it is,” the post said.  Fortune Favours craft beer bar featured on a Wellington craft beer tour. Photo / Nicola Edmonds  The brewery started when Thorpe quit his day job to move to the capital with his young family to start brewing craft beer. Award-winning brewer Cooper then joined and the business expanded, winning awards in New Zealand and Australia and being stocked around the country.  The pair also opened a bar in Wellington Airport in 2019.  In 2022, the brewery made a splash with its Hyper Fuel brew, the strongest beer in the country at 31% ABV.  Fortune Favours’ move is just the latest in a string of recent sector closures.  A number of popular hospitality venues have shut up shop in the capital over the past year, citing a range of factors including the public sector cuts, loss of car parks, and general economic conditions.  Craft breweries across the country from Brothers Beer to Deep Creek, Epic Brewing and Boneface Brewing have all faced financial trouble in recent years.  It also comes as new economic figures show 177 Wellington businesses closed down in the year to the end of the June quarter.  Business counts, meaning the number of business units in an area, is down -2.3% in the capital, a greater drop than the country’s average of 0.9%.  Infometrics principal economist Nick Brunsdon said the capital’s struggles “in large part stems from the cuts in the public sector”.  Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.  Read...

The Auditor-General`s office will not look into spending by Tauranga City Council, but says the council should consider how it could make public information more readily available. Read...

There are 101,981 registered voters for the 2025 general election. Read...

Around 1700 people are expected to cast their votes ahead of Friday`s polling day. Read...

As the back-to-school season approaches in 2025, teachers aren’t just buying markers or restocking textbooks—they’re reinventing what it means to educate in a hybrid, high-tech learning space. With students clamoring for more engaging, interactive lessons and administrators seeking technologies that bridge physical and digital classrooms, smart boards are no longer optional but imperative. Among the growing list of interactive screens, HKMLC 55? Smart Board stands out—not for dazzling stunts, but for its capacity to deliver what today’s classrooms actually need: clarity, connectivity, collaboration, and affordability. Here’s how HKMLC smart board can be put to use in a variety of teaching scenarios for the 2025 school year. Plug In, Power Up, Teach Smarter One of the first things you’ll notice when you glance at the HKMLC Smart Board is how quickly it comes online. Designed for educators—whatever their status, IT professionals or not—the unit provides plug-and-play with a built-in Android 11 OS. No more fiddling around with projectors, external computers, and calibration processes. Mount the board, turn it on, and you’re ready to rock. The Android interface is smooth and responsive, allowing them to easily transition between applications, browsers, video, and digital whiteboard functionality. And with support for multi-window multitasking, teachers are able to use a lesson while they consult their lesson plan or student feedback simultaneously. A Visual and Interactive Upgrade The 4K UHD resolution of the HKMLC board is not merely a spec-sheet boast—quite literally, it makes a big difference in classroom legibility, even in larger or light-filled classrooms. Students are able to read fine text easily, observe complex diagrams, and interact with multimedia materials without eye strain or glare. But where the board truly excels is in its touch performance. Able to handle up to 10 touch points simultaneously, students can work together—complex issues, moving things around on the screen, or co-editing in real time. The board comes with two styluses providing smooth digital ink and palm rejection, resulting in a writing experience very much like the old whiteboards—without the mess. HKMLC Built for Hybrid Learning and Device Integration Back to school in 2025 is more likely than not a mix of in-person, remote, and hybrid teaching. HKMLC knows. The board includes Eshare Pro, allowing wire-free screen casting from as many as 9 devices, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. When a teacher wants to display a student’s work or a student wants to display research, the process is fast and lag-free. We were also glad to find screen capture and recording features, which allow lessons to be saved, shared, or reviewed—ideal for absent students or flipped-classroom classrooms. Teachers can work within split-screen environments, comment on current web pages or YouTube videos, and even launch third-party education software from the Android desktop. Designed for Engagement, Not Just Display Not only does HKMLC Smart Board replicate traditional teaching behaviors online—it enhances them. Its interactive whiteboard feature comes with built-in templates like mind maps, grids, and diagrams, which enable instructors to organize material in a rush while it takes students along the way. Lesson material can be saved as image files or PDFs so students can view material outside of class, or instructors can keep digital records. Regardless of whether you’re creating a science diagram, a set of math problems, or a brainstorming list, it can be saved and shared in one tap. Practical Hardware, Future-Ready Build Physically, the board is modern, thin, and lightweight to be mounted or placed on a roll-around cart. It’s ideal for space-constrained classrooms or schools with several locations where they can utilize the same board. Ports are logically located, with multiple HDMI, USB, and LAN alternatives, and front facing for convenient use of USB stick input during instruction. Integrated speakers are adequate for most standard classrooms, and the general audio-visual setup supports a wide range of multimedia codecs. The build is heavy-duty and very durable—a requirement for school use where equipment must withstand intense usage. A Competitive Price Point for Tight Budgets Priced at around $1487 (on Amazon), the HKMLC Smart Board significantly undershoots many expensive alternatives without sacrificing critical functionality. For educational institutions wanting to meet performance with value, it is an attractive solution for classroom, training room, or small conference room equipment. While some smart boards are available with additional subscription-based software included in the package, HKMLC’s open Android platform gives schools the freedom to use their preferred software, avoiding long-term costs and vendor lock-in. HKMLC Clever, Accessible, and Ready for the Future of Education The HKMLC Smart Board is not trying to reinvent the wheel—but that is precisely why it wins. It’s focused on the things most important to educators: visual clarity, interactive input, hybrid compatibility, and simplicity. It’s the kind of board that steps back and lets teachers teach—and that is exactly what makes it so effective. As schools plan ahead for a new school year, expenditure on the right technology is no longer about catching up—it’s about empowering students, facilitating teachers, and making smarter classrooms. The HKMLC Smart Board earns a resounding A+ across the board. Read...

General surgeon and Charity Hospital chair Phil Bagshaw says the public deserves to know if its getting value for money. Read...

Four-day general admission tickets for the Australian Grand Prix have increased by 107 per cent over the last five years as Formula 1’s popularity continues to skyrocket. Read...