The Bull Ring

𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕗𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕦𝕤 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕘𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕥𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕙𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕪 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕝, 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕤 𝕚𝕥 '𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕕', 𝕒 '𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕖' 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕣 ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕙𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕪 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥 𝕙𝕚𝕞 𝕒 "𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕖" 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒 "𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕝." People react to the guilty verdict announced against former President Donald Trump outside Manhattan Criminal Court. A Jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts on Thursday after deliberating for nearly 12 hours. . . "We didn't do a thing wrong. I'm a very innocent man," Trump said after leaving the courtroom.  Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, said the "real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people," referring to the general election.   "They know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here," he said.  . . He rail...

  Commuter ferry could set sail in Tauranga Alisha Evans , Local Democracy Reporter An artist's concept of the interior of the ferry. Photo: LDR / Peter Bourke A ferry service between Mount Maunganui and Tauranga could be on the way in 2025. Auckland water taxi company Hauraki Express is prepared to build two ferries for the service if local councils will subsidise the fares. It would begin as a two-year trial with the goal of becoming a permanent service that could expand to include new routes in time, said Hauraki Express director Peter Bourke. The ferries would run from Salisbury Wharf in downtown Mount Maunganui to Tauranga city centre. Tauranga City Council agreed to fund half of the costs of a ferry trial for passengers and bikes at a meeting last week. But their agreement is contingent on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council paying the other half. The maximum cost for each council would be $1.4 million over the two years....

  Regional Development and Resources Minister's mine visits not publicised By Lee Scanlon of the Westport News Shane Jones yesterday made unpublicised visits to Federation Mining's Snowy River gold project and Roa Mining's Rajah open cast coal mine. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Regional Development and Resources Minister Shane Jones visited two mines on the West Coast on Thursday, without revealing the visits until afterwards, then had a private lunch with mining industry representatives. His only pre-publicised engagement on the West Coast yesterday was his speech at Blackball about the government's plans to boost mining. The minister, who has been under fire for his close links to the mining industry, told the Westport News he couldn't care less if people think those relationships are too cosy. Shane Jones during the visit to one of the mines. Photo: Facebook / Shane Jones The Westport News contacted his office on...

ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕄ℙ𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕔𝕦𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕠𝕟 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕤 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕄ℙ𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕤. I t comes amid mass spending cuts in the public service, prompting questions over whether MPs should too be tightening their belts. Every three months MPs' and Ministers' expenses are released by the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk. It shows the amount spent on accommodation and travel required for MPs to fulfil their duties. . . MPs' expenses between January and March totalled just under $1.65 million, while the ministerial expenses, including both domestic and international travel, were just under $1.35 million. Of the Coalition Government Ministers, Judith Collins, who holds eight ministerial portfolios including Defence, spent the most on international travel, with $144,019 from January to March.  ...

𝕁𝕠𝕙𝕟 𝕂𝕖𝕪 𝕤𝕦𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕊 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕔𝕪𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕣 ℙ𝕒𝕝𝕠 𝔸𝕝𝕥𝕠 ℕ𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜𝕤 𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕝 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥 𝕕𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣 𝕁𝕠𝕙𝕟 𝕂𝕖𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤, 𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 J ohn Key, the former prime minister of New Zealand,  is being sued by the shareholders of Palo Alto Networks (PAN) for alleged insider trading, along with other members of the well-known cybersecurity vendor's management team and board of directors. Key is a PAN director. Others facing insider trading allegations include PAN founder Nir Zak, the company's chief executive Nikesh Arora, and board director and Zoom chief operating officer Aparna Bawa. . . Collectively, the company officials are alleged to have breached their "fiduciary duties as directors and/or officers of Palo Alto" and are accused of "unjust enrichment...

𝔸𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟞,𝟘𝟘𝟘 '𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕪𝕖𝕕' 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝔸𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟞,𝟘𝟘𝟘 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕪 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕚𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕪𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕, 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕤𝕒𝕪. M arch quarter data from Stats NZ showed an increase in the  unemployment rate , from 4 percent in December to  4.3 percent . It said 134,000 people were now unemployed. That data update did not include most of the  public service cuts announced so far this year  - RNZ estimates that there have been more than 4550 of these. ANZ economist Henry Russell said some parts of the public sector where fiscal stimulus was still flowing through continued to grow, particularly education. That could make the overall picture look stronger than it otherwise would. Without that influence in the labour market data, employment activity was slowing much faster, he said. . . "A...

ℙ𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪, 𝕒𝕤 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕘𝕘𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝-𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕝𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕃𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝, 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕙 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕨𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔’𝕤 𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘. A poll by Labour’s pollster, Talbot Mills Research, for the firm’s corporate clients that has been obtained by The Post shows the coalition parties — National, ACT, and NZ First — lacking sufficient public support to form a Government, if an election were held today. The next election is in 2026. The poll showed Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori together would have a one seat edge in the House, presuming Te Pāti Māori once again won six electorate seats, and NZ First remained aligned with the centre-right parties. It was the first such outcome for the centre-left bl...

  Cohen testifies Trump viewed Stormy Daniels story as 'disaster' for campaign By Luc Cohen and Jack Queen for Reuters Former US President Donald Trump returns from break to court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court. Photo: AFP / POOL Donald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen told jurors on Monday that the Republican presidential candidate was furious that porn star Stormy Daniels was shopping a story in 2016 about an alleged sexual encounter with him, telling Cohen it would be catastrophic for his campaign. "He said to me, 'This is a disaster, a total disaster. Women are going to hate me'," Cohen testified at Trump's trial in New York state criminal court in Manhattan. "'Guys, they think it's cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign.'" Cohen, the prosecution's star witness, said he learned that Daniels was sel...