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The idea that the “constantly thwarted” Edmund Blackadder had to be surrounded by “people even dafter than him” originally came from co-writer Ben Elton, Robinson says.

While the 79-year-old historian loved making the mock-historical comedy show, as a “typical working-class boy” amongst Blackadder‘s Oxford and Cambridge-educated creators, at first, he felt like he was from a different world.

“It was quite an intimidating atmosphere to find yourself in, but they were all very, very clever, very friendly, always kind, always courteous. I always feel that I learned how to ride at the feet of those masters, and I have enormous gratitude,” he tells RNZ’s Saturday Morning.

tony robinson — Tony Robinson played the “underscrogsman” (apprentice dogsbody) Sod Off Baldrick in four seasons of the British sitcom Blackadder.

YouTube screenshot

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At the same time as he was making Blackadder, Robinson began working on the archaeological series Time Team and the Robin Hood spoof Maid Marian and her Merry Men.

“There must be something about me that oozes history.”

As a young boy listening to his parents’ stories about life during WWII, he had a fondness for what we call “history” before he knew what it was.

“I just knew that here was a time when my grandparents must have been young and having larks, and their parents and theirs and theirs, right back to all those people who spoke funny and had pointed sleeves. They were all the same as me, in a way. “

The words ‘history’ and ‘archaeology’ sound “dry as dust”, Robinson says, and what he’s interested in can be simply described as “stuff”.

“I like everything that is part of the magic of the world we live in.”

On the podcast Tony Robinson’s Cunningcast, taking a historical approach, he explores a wide array of fascinating stuff, including Vladimir Putin, Miriam Margolyes, Hadrian’s Wall, jelly, pies and nudity.

This year, Robinson also released his debut novel The House of Wolf, in which King Aethelwolf, who has five warring sons, is ruling by terror and beginning to get “twinges of Alzheimer’s”.

Although he is well schooled on the facts of Anglo-Saxon history, The House of Wolf is just as much influenced by the “exquisitely written” HBO show Succession, he says.

“There’s very much a Succession feel about it, and I wanted to capture that kind of flavour.”

Tony Robinson has known Scottish actor Bryan Cox (who plays Logan Roy in Succession) since they were teenagers.

HBO

The theft of seven handwritten chapters of the manuscript from Robinson’s car while he was on holiday with his wife in Spain was a major setback, though, and not ju”They nicked all our stuff, you know, credit cards, all that kind of stuff, glasses… Boy, is it difficult when you haven’t got your glasses anymore.

“Not only that, but our little dog had diabetes, and they’d nicked the syringes and the insulin… Our vet in Spain managed to get some more insulin, and he gave us some more syringes.

“We spent the next three weeks with me kind of mortified, having lost all those chapters. Then we realised that the syringes we’d been given weren’t the right ones.

“We’d been underdosing our dog for three weeks, and our beloved dog died. So, we were in a right old state. My wife kind of nursed me back to psychological health.”

The story does have a “kind of happy ending”, though, Robinson says.

“We got our little dog Holly Berry from the Derby RSPCA, and they’ve opened a new wing for small furry animals and birds called the Holly Berry Robinson Wing.”

Tony Robinson was knighted by Prince William in 2013 for his “lifetime of public and political service”.

Nathan Roach

Robinson got his acting break at 13 in the original stage production of Oliver! After leaving school at 16, he studied at drama school to become a “proper grown-up actor”.

Looking back, the historian counts himself very lucky that fame and success didn’t find him until the age of 38, when he was cast in Blackadder – a show that specialised in “all that kind of revolting, childish humour that makes us all laugh.”

“By that time, all the big things of life had happened to me. I’d lost loved ones. I’d lost parents. I’d lost my kids in the supermarket. I was quite rooted in reality.

“I think if I had been made famous younger than that, I would have turned into a monster. You know, it would have really gone to my head.

“As it was, I was just able to enjoy it. I loved it and still do.”

These days, Robinson is often invited to skip a queue, can “get a beer pretty easily”, and likes to simply share a laugh with people.

“The day before yesterday, I did a Comic Con in Liverpool, and there were streams and streams of people waiting to chat to me. In the autumn of my life, that is such a wonderful thing to have happened.”

Although he used to love coming to New Zealand – to film Time Team and visit his in-laws – next year’s trip will be Robinson’s first visit to our shores in a few years.

“I’m longing to see Christchurch again. I haven’t seen it since shortly after the geological nightmare.”

For the TV veteran, chatting away to a live audience feels “really unifying”.

“When I come out to see you guys, that’s what I want us all to have – a collective experience.”

Supplied

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 21, 2025

Donald Trump commends victory of New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at White House meeting

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Gram Slattery, Jonathan Allen and Trevor Hunnicutt, Reuters

US President Donald Trump (R) meets with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

Photo: JIM WATSON

US President Donald Trump praised the electoral victory of incoming New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday in the first in-person meeting for the political opposites, who have clashed over everything from immigration to economic policy.

A democratic socialist and little-known state lawmaker who won New York’s mayoral race earlier this month, Mamdani requested the sit-down with Trump to discuss cost-of-living issues and public safety.

“We have one thing in common: we want this city of ours that we love to do very well,” Trump said after inviting journalists into the Oval Office following a private meeting. “I want to congratulate the mayor, he really ran an incredible race against some very tough people, very smart people.”

“It was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City, and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers,” Mamdani said.

Trump said he was happy to put aside partisan differences. “The better he does the happier I am,” Trump said.

As Mamdani surged in the polls to victory, Trump, a Republican, issued threats to strip federal funding from the biggest US city. The mayor-elect has regularly criticised a range of Trump’s policies, including plans to ramp up federal immigration enforcement efforts in New York City, where four in ten residents are foreign-born.

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York City on November 5, 2025. Mamdani, 34, is the city's first Muslim mayor and the youngest to serve in more than a century. The Democratic socialist's victory came in the face of fierce attacks on his policies and his Muslim heritage from business elites, conservative media commentators and Trump himself. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. (File photo) Photo: AFP / Timothy A Clary

The 79-year-old president, a former New York resident, has labelled Mamdani, 34, as a “radical left lunatic,” a communist and “Jew hater,” without offering evidence for those assertions.

Mamdani has espoused Nordic-style democratic socialism, not communism. While a staunch critic of Israel, he was endorsed by prominent Jewish politicians, is bringing in Jewish staff in his new administration, notably New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and has repeatedly condemned antisemitism.

Trump tempered his language on Friday shortly before the mayor-elect’s arrival, saying he expected it to be “quite civil” and commending Mamdani for a “successful run.”

“I was hitting him a little hard,” Trump told “The Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox News. “I think we’ll get along fine. Look, we’re looking for the same thing: we want to make New York strong.”

Earlier, Mamdani posted a grinning selfie on social media, taken in the seat of a plane bound for Washington.

Trump’s Oval Office meetings have been wildly unpredictable, including respectful encounters with opponents and ambushes of guests, such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa. Mamdani, who will be sworn in as mayor on January 1, said at a press conference the day before heading to Washington that he had “many disagreements with the president.”

US president Donald Trump delivers remarks at the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC on November 19, 2025.

US president Donald Trump’s Oval Office meetings have often been unpredictable. Photo: AFP

“I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers,” he told reporters outside New York’s City Hall. “If an agenda hurts New Yorkers, I will also be the first to say so.”

Trump thinks Mamdani was ‘very nice’ in calling him

Uganda-born Mamdani will be the first Muslim and first South Asian mayor in the city that is home to Wall Street. His energetic, social media-savvy campaign provoked debate about the best path for Democrats. Out of power in Washington and divided ideologically, Democrats are mainly unified by their opposition to Trump, who is constitutionally prohibited from seeking another term in 2028.

Mamdani vowed to focus on affordability issues, including the cost of housing, groceries, childcare and buses in a city of 8.5 million people. New Yorkers pay nearly double the average rent nationwide. Inflation has been a major issue for Americans, and it’s one on which they give Trump low marks. Just 26 percent of Americans say Trump is doing a good job at managing the cost of living, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week.

The US federal government is providing US$7.4 billion (NZ$13.1 billion) to New York City in fiscal year 2026, or about 6.4 percent of the city’s total spending, according to a New York State Comptroller report. It was not clear what legal authority Trump could claim for withholding any funding mandated by Congress.

The two men were again trading barbs within hours of Mamdani’s election. “If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani told cheering supporters in his victory speech, which called for Trump to “turn the volume up.”

Trump said he was puzzled by Mamdani’s speech after excerpts were replayed to him during the Fox News interview on Friday morning.

“I don’t know exactly what he means by ‘turning the volume up.’ He has to be careful when he says that to me,” Trump said. “He was very nice in calling, as you know, and we’re going to have a meeting.”

-Reuters

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 21, 2025

Joan Jett was told girls didn’t play electric guitar

Source: Radio New Zealand

Beneath the fame, the faux leather, and the decades of trailblazing, Joan Jett is still driven by something simple: the thrill of plugging in a guitar and letting it rip.

From her teenage beginnings with The Runaways to her powerhouse years as a solo artist and leader of the Blackhearts, she’s held tight to the same ambition she had at 13; to be onstage in a band, making unapologetic rock music.

When Jett first strapped on a Gibson guitar girls were told they shouldn’t play rock ‘n’ roll, she told RNZ’s Afternoons.

“It would have been okay if I had an acoustic guitar, but it was the fact the electricity made it you know like you’re not allowed, and it’s like what do you mean I’m not allowed?

“You’re saying I can’t play it but I have girls in my class next to me playing Beethoven and Bach on violin and different instruments so you’re not saying I’m not capable of, what you’re saying is I’m not allowed to.”

Not that it stopped her and first with The Runaways and then Joan Jett and the Blackhearts she went on the release ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’, ‘Crimson and Clover’ and ‘I Hate Myself for Loving You’ – a series of world wide smash hits.

At the outset, record companies didn’t want to know, she says.

“We have 23 rejection letters to prove it, we sent them five hits, we sent them five hits right? All songs that became hits here in the States and they sent us a variety of rejection letters from uninterested with no reason, to lose the guitar to my favourite you need a song search.”

Now, 50 years on, Jett is a music legend, and she still gets a tingle of excitement before every show, she says.

“I think the day that I don’t feel that is the day I gotta stop for sure. I mean you’ve got to have some kind of you know that little tightness in your belly? It’s not necessarily fear, it’s anticipation.”

And she’s enjoying her career now more than ever.

“I’ve learned a lot more I think in the last six years or so than maybe in my whole life if that makes sense? More about people and just the way the world works I guess which is different necessarily than book knowledge.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 21, 2025

The world’s coolest streets this year

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hitting the streets is a great way to catch a city’s real pulse — drifting through indie stores, ducking into coffee shops or grabbing a barstool somewhere lively.

As global listing guide Time Out puts it, a city’s streets are where you’ll find “local life at its most authentic.”

That idea powers the magazine’s annual “coolest streets” list – a global roundup of walkways, alleys and other urban arteries.

An ancient-looking shopfront on a paved street is illuminated and surrounded by pot plants. — Fanghua Street in Chengdu, China, is number 4 on Time Out’s round-up, described as the “city’s go-to strip for people-watching.”

Nicole-Marie Ng / Courtesy of Time Out

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The 2025 edition celebrates how “streets are everything that makes urban life brilliant”, Time Out travel editor Grace Beard tells CNN Travel.

To compile it, the brand leaned on its global network of editors and writers, each arguing for the corners of their cities that deserve the spotlight.

This year’s winner: Rua do Senado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Time Out says this downtown strip is buzzing with newly opened spots that bring “a fresh energy” to the area, alongside institutions like Armazém Senado, home to a weekly, street-filling samba jam.

Luiz Felipe Bernardo, who runs Instagram guide RIO DESTAQUE, tells CNN Travel that seeing a Rio street on the list is a “tremendous source of pride” for locals.

Rua do Senado, he argues, sums up the city’s “history, diversity, and a cultural movement that never stops.” It’s where “music, gastronomy, art, and an unmatched energy all come together.”

What makes a ‘cool’ street?

Fanghua Street in Chengdu, China, is number 4 on Time Out‘s round-up, described as the “city’s go-to strip for people-watching.”

Coolness, of course, is subjective, but Time Out editor Beard says the streets on the list are “packed with independent businesses, great places to eat and fun things to do.”

Architecturally, there’s no common thread. It doesn’t matter if it’s “a pedestrianised canalside path or a major artery,” according to Beard.

Take Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, slotted in at number 25. The PCH wouldn’t be classed as a “street” by most people; it’s a classic West Coast California road trip.

But Time Out suggests that if you actually park your car, you’ll find plenty to enjoy. “It’s teeming with cool stuff to do, eat and drink,” says Beard, who points to the road’s “community spirit” after January’s Palisades wildfires. Time Outsays a street’s camaraderie and creativity matter as much as bars and coffee shops.

Where else made the cut?

Rua do Bonjardim, in the centre of Porto, Portugal, is number 3 on Time Out’s list. The street was praised for its old-school grocers, fun places to stay and innovative dining spots.

Number 2 is Orange Street, in Osaka, Japan, a former antique-hunting district that now mixes streetwear, retro shops, al fresco eats, and showy cocktails.

Number 3 is Rua do Bonjardim in Porto, Portugal, with old-school grocers, hotels — including former soap factory Torel Saboaria — and restaurants like artsy Ottto. Its owner, Bruno Amaral, tells CNN Travel, “it’s really exciting” to see the street on the list, and hopes it leads “more and more people to discover its charm.”

Chengdu’s Fanghua Street takes number 4 as the city’s “go-to strip for people-watching.”

Sherbrooke Street West in Montreal, the highest ranking address in North America, rounds out the top five. It benefits from historic buildings, museums and the bookish vibes of McGill University and its Blue Metropolis literary festival.

Former McGill student Katherine Davidson tells CNN the street’s “a stone’s throw from much of what makes Montreal great,” from terrace-lined cafes to the Musée des beaux-arts.

Meanwhile, Orchard Street in the Lower East Side in New York City is number 8 on Time Out’s ranking, praised for its array of interesting shops and businesses, including recently opened bookstore/podcast studio P&T Knitwear. Owner Bradley Tusk, who chose the name in honour of a business run by his grandfather in the 1950s, tells CNN Travel it’s an “honour” to be namechecked as “cool” in Time Out.

“When my grandfather started the original P&T Knitwear on the Lower East Side in 1952, I doubt he even knew what cool meant, let alone that his grandson would open a bookstore and podcast studio a block over on a street considered one of the coolest in the world,” says Tusk.

Is the list for tourists or locals?

Maybachufer, Berlin, Germany, is number 8 on Time Out‘s list.

Philip Koschel / Visit Berlin / Courtesy of Time Out

Time Out insists its ranking offers inspiration for both tourists and locals.

The streets are “certified local favourites,” Time Out editor Beard explains.

“But there may well be some locals who haven’t yet visited or even heard of the street highlighted in their city. For visitors, we hope this list can provide some invaluable in-the-know insight to help them plan their next city break — and spend their time and money on local businesses.”

The complete list of the 31 coolest streets can be seen at Time Out’s website.

Time Out’s Top 10 coolest streets for 2025

Rua do Senado, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Orange Street, Osaka, Japan
Rua do Bonjardim, Porto, Portugal
Fanghua Street, Chengdu, China
Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Canada
Montague Road, Brisbane, Australia
Maybachufer, Berlin, Germany
Olympou Street, Thessaloniki, Greece
Orchard Street, New York City, USA
Vĩnh Khánh Street, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 20, 2025

No support as Kiwi disabled delegates flee COP30 fire in Brazil

Source: Radio New Zealand

This screen grab taken from AFPTV video footage shows emergency crews battling a fire that broke out at a pavilion inside the venue of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil, on November 20, 2025. A fire erupted at a pavilion inside the venue of the UN's climate talks in Brazil on Thursday, prompting panicked delegates to run for the exits, AFP journalists said. Emergency crews rushed to try to put out the blaze as smoke engulfed the corridor. (Photo by AFPTV / AFP)

This screen grab shows emergency crews battling a fire that broke out at a pavilion at the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, in Brazil, on November 20, 2025. Photo: AFP / AFPTV

A New Zealand disability advocate caught up in the fire at the annual COP climate meeting in Brazil says she and her group were left to fend for themselves.

The fire took hold in a pavilion area while negotiations were still underway, forcing the evacuation of thousands of delegates from the venue.

There were no casualties but at least 13 people have been treated for smoke inhalation.

A fire burns in a pavilion during the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil, on November 20, 2025. A fire erupted at a pavilion inside the venue of the UN's climate talks in Brazil on Thursday, prompting panicked delegates to run for the exits, AFP journalists said. Emergency crews rushed to try to put out the blaze as smoke engulfed the corridor. (Photo by JACQUELINE LISBOA / AFP)

Photo: AFP / Jacqueline Lisboa

Kera Sherwood-O’Regan (Ngāi Tahu) is at COP30 representing the New Zealand Disabled Persons Assembly and her hapu, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki.

She was in a building next to the area where fire broke out but said there was no alarm or other alert.

“A lot of people initially thought, ‘Oh is this a protest?'”

Many in her group had disabilities so they decided not to take any chances, she said.

“We’re very conscious that oftentimes in emergency situations we really do get left behind and that’s why we’re here at the COP advocating.

“We made our way to one of the side doors to get outside and soon after that there was a massive influx of everybody getting out.”

A worker runs carrying a fire extinguisher toward a pavilion after a fire broke out during the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil on November 20, 2025. A fire erupted at a pavilion inside the venue of the UN's climate talks in Brazil on Thursday, prompting panicked delegates to run for the exits, AFP journalists said. Emergency crews rushed to try to put out the blaze as smoke engulfed the corridor. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP)

A worker runs with a fire extinguisher toward a pavilion after a fire broke out. Photo: AFP / Pablo Porciuncula

At that point there was still no official information and people were instead coordinating in group chats, she said.

“There wasn’t a single clear alarm system, there was no signage on the screens or anything. People were really confused.”

Later she saw footage of the fire close to an area where she had spoken the day before.

“I received … a video of flames which were just floor to ceiling, over in the pavilions area … so that was obviously quite frightening for us.”

The UN body that oversees the COP talks said there had been “limited damage” but the site would reopen no sooner than 8pm (12pm Friday NZT).

The fire took place as ministers were deep in negotiations aimed at breaking a deadlock over fossil fuels, climate finance and trade measures, with one day left in the two-week conference.

-RNZ / AFP

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 20, 2025

Kids who count on their fingers do better at maths

Source: Radio New Zealand

If you ask a small child a simple maths question, such as 4+2, they may count on their fingers to work it out.

Should we encourage young children to do this?

This seemingly simple question is surprisingly complex to answer.

An adult hand rests against a child hand. — Parents can show preschoolers how they can use their fingers to represent numbers.

Hrant Khachatryan / Unsplash

. Others might discourage finger counting, arguing it might slow the development of mental strategies.

A new Swiss study shows kids who use finger counting from a young age perform better at addition than those who do not.

What does the research say?

There is a rich debate among researchers about the value of kids using their fingers to count.

Educational psychologists say finger counting helps children think through strategies without overloading their working memory (how our brains hold pieces of information for a short time while we work something out), until more abstract strategies are mastered.

Researchers in embodied cognition (learning through actions) argue that associating fingers and numbers is “doing what comes naturally” and so should be encouraged. Neuroscientists might also note that similar parts of your brain activate when you move your fingers and think about numbers, which helps memory.

Several previous classroom studies have shown that children who use finger strategies to solve maths questions perform better than children who do not, until around seven, when the opposite becomes true.

So, before age seven, finger-counters are better. After seven, non-finger-counters are better.

Why does this happen? What does this mean for mathematics education? This has been a point of debate for several years.

A new study followed 200 kids

A new University of Lausane study has taken an important step in settling this debate.

The researchers say previous studies have left us with two possible explanations for the apparent change in the benefits of finger counting at about seven.

One interpretation is that finger strategies become inefficient when maths questions become more complex (for example, 13 + 9 is harder than 1 + 3), so children who use finger strategies don’t perform as well.

The other possibility is the children who are not using finger strategies at seven (and performing better than those who do) were previously finger-users, who have transitioned to more advanced mental strategies.

To untangle these contrasting explanations, the researchers followed almost 200 children from age 4.5 to 7.5 and assessed their addition skills and finger use every six months.

Notably, they tracked if and when the children started and stopped using their fingers. So, at each assessment point, it was noted whether children were non-finger users, new finger-users (newly started), continuing finger-users, or ex-finger users (had stopped).

What did the study find?

The study found that by 6.5 years, most of the non-finger users were indeed ex-finger users. These ex-finger users were also the highest performers in the addition questions and were still improving a year later. The significance of this finding is that in previous studies, these high performing children had only been identified as non-finger users, not as former users of finger-based strategies.

In the new Swiss study, only 12 children never used their fingers over the years, and they were the lowest performing group.

Additionally, the study showed the “late starters” with finger-counting strategies, who were still using finger strategies at the age of 6.5 to 7.5 years, did not perform as well as the ex-finger users.

What does this mean?

The findings from this unique longitudinal study are powerful. It seems reasonable to conclude that both teachers and parents should encourage finger counting development from preschool through the first couple of years of school.

However, the Swiss study focused on predominantly white European children from middle to high socioeconomic backgrounds. Would we find such clear outcomes in the average multicultural public school in Australia? We suspect that we might.

Our own 2025 study found a wide variety of finger counting methods in such schools, but when teachers paid attention to the development of finger counting strategies, it supported children’s number skills.

What can parents do?

Parents can show preschoolers how they can use their fingers to represent numbers, such as holding up three fingers and saying “three”.

Help them practice counting from one to ten, matching one finger at a time. Once they get started, the rest should come naturally. There is no need to discourage finger counting at any time. Children naturally stop using their fingers when they no longer need them.

Jennifer Way is an Associate Professor in Primary and Early Childhood Mathematics Education at the University of Sydney. Katherin Cartwright is a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Wollongong.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 20, 2025

The US plan for ending the Ukraine war: What do we know?

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Ania Tsoukanova, AFP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint press conference with Turkey's President following their meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on 19 November, 2025.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on 19 November, 2025. Photo: OZAN KOSE / AFP

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet senior US army figures in Kyiv on Thursday (local time), after Washington presented a plan to Ukraine that would end the war on terms favourable to Moscow.

The surprise proposal from the United States envisages Ukraine giving up land to Russia and limiting its military capacity, concessions that Kyiv has previously rejected as an unacceptable capitulation to Moscow, which launched its full-scale invasion almost four years ago.

Here’s what we know about it:

Territory

Details of the plan, shared with AFP by a senior source familiar with the matter, suggest Ukraine is being asked to give in to some of Russia’s key demands, while it remains “unclear” what commitments Russia would make in return.

On territory, the plan calls for the “recognition of Crimea and other regions that the Russians have taken”, the source said.

Russia’s army occupies around a fifth of the country — much of it ravaged by years of fighting.

In 2022, the Kremlin annexed four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — despite not having full control over them.

Russia also annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously demanded Ukraine completely withdraw its troops from Donetsk and Lugansk, and offered to freeze the front line in the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, according to Turkey’s foreign minister, who mediated three rounds of peace talks earlier this year.

Ukraine has said it will never recognise Russian control over its land, but has conceded it might be forced to get it back through diplomatic means.

Ceding territory in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions that Ukraine still controls could leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks by Russia.

“It is a matter of our country’s survival,” Zelensky said recently.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with the media in Moscow on 23 October, 2025.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in October, 2025. Photo: AFP/ Sputnik pool photo – Alexander Shcherbak

Army and weapons

The plan calls for Ukraine to reduce its army to 400,000 personnel, cutting its military by more than half, the same source told AFP.

Kyiv would also be required to give up all long-range weapons.

That fits with other Russian demands put to Ukraine at talks in Istanbul earlier this year when Moscow called for a reduction in troop numbers, a ban on mobilisation and a halt to the flow of Western weapons.

Russia has also repeatedly said it will not tolerate any NATO troops on Ukrainian soil.

By contrast, Ukraine wants concrete Western-backed security guarantees, including a European peacekeeping force, to prevent Russia from re-invading in the future.

Whose plan?

US media outlet Axios reported the plan had been drawn up by the Trump administration in secret consultation with Russia.

Many elements appear to echo Moscow’s demands for how the conflict should end.

“It seems that the Russians proposed this to the Americans, they accepted it,” the senior source told AFP.

“An important nuance is that we don’t understand whether this is really Trump’s story” or “his entourage’s”, the official added.

Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump’s position on the Ukraine war has shifted dramatically back and forth.

Over 2025, he has gone from calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” to urging Kyiv to try to reclaim all the land captured by Russia and hitting Moscow with sanctions.

US President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin stand together after delivering a joint press conference after participating in a US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

US President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin after participating in a US-Russia summit on Ukraine in Alaska, in August, 2025. Photo: AFP / Andrew Caballero-Reynolds

Reactions

There has been no official reaction to the plan in Kyiv. The Kremlin said it had nothing to say when asked about the reports.

The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said any peace settlement must have the agreement of both Kyiv and Brussels.

“For any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board,” Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

“We have to understand that in this war, there is one aggressor and one victim. So we haven’t heard of any concessions on the Russian side,” she added.

– AFP

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 20, 2025

Eight new MPs elected to Tonga parliament

Source: Radio New Zealand

Longolongo polling station, Tongatapu 1 constituency, Nukualofa, Tonga. 20 November 2025 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Teuila Fuatai

Eight new MPs have been elected to Tonga’s parliament in the general election amid a continuing decline in voter turnout.

Results released by the electoral commission overnight show six people’s representatives and two noble’s representatives among the new cohort of MPs.

Tonga’s caretaker Prime Minister Dr Aisake ‘Eke has retained his place in parliament for another term winning his constituency in the general election by nearly three-quarters of the electorate vote.

His predecessor Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni – who resigned from as prime minister in the face of a motion of no confidence last year – commanded similar support among his constituents at Thursday’s general election.

Both men will now hold people’s representative seats for Tongatapu in the new 26-member parliament.

In Tonga, the parliament is divided between 17 people’s representatives, which the general population vote for, and 9 nobles’ representatives, selected by the nobles in a separate election process.

The results for the peoples’ representatives were announced by the Supervisor of Elections Pita Vuki last night and broadcast live on local TV and radio.

Six of the new MPs are first-timers, while Semisi Sika – who won in one of the 10 Tongatapu constituencies – is back after losing his seat four years ago.

One of the most notable losers in the election results announced last night was the long-serving politician, Samiu Vaipulu, who has been in and out of parliament three times since 1987 with his latest run in the Vava’u seat lasting a decade. A political career totalling up to 31 years of service as an MP.

For the nobles’ seats, two new representatives were elected – Lord Veéhala in Eua and Lord Ma’afu in Tongatapu.

In regard to voter participation, just 49.4 percent or 31,988 of registered voters turned out to cast their ballots. The rate was even lower than the previous 2021 election turnout of 62 percent.

Pita Vuki, Supervisor of Elections, reads out the results of Tonga’s 2025 general elections. 20 November 2025 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Teuila Fuatai

Vuki previously said the decline in voter participation was due to a range of reasons, including eligible voters being out of the country on polling day.

Currently, there’s no provision for overseas voting. He also said some people remained on the list even though they no longer lived in Tonga and were no longer eligible to vote.

However, unless the Electoral Commission received official notice of a change in residential country, it was not permitted to remove names.

Vuki also said he and his team would now await any potential requests for recounts of general election results.

“Some of the polls themselves are a bit close…so yeah, every election we expect a recount. But it’s up to the candidates,” Vuki said.

Under election rules, candidates are permitted to request a recount within seven days.

“So, by next Thursday we’ll know if there will be a recount,” he said.

Vuki said no issues with voting had arisen throughout Thursday.

“I drove around…most of the polling stations and had a look whether they had any issues and things, but I didn’t find any. I talked to polling officials. They were fine at the polling stations.”

Overall, more than 200 polling stations across Tonga’s islands operated throughout the day.

Stations for the general public opened at 9am and closed at 4pm. The nobles’ election took place at the palace office in Nuku’alofa. It began at 10am, and results were announced at about 1pm.

Following yesterday’s result, a handful of successful candidates, including ‘Eke, Hu’akavameiliku and Lord Fakafanua – the speaker of the house who retained his nobles’ seat – are expected to vie for the role of prime minister.

The position will be decided by the newly elected representatives through an election in parliament conducted via a secret ballot.

Following that, the successful candidate for prime minister nominates their cabinet ministers for the King to appoint.

The constitution also allows the prime minister to nominate up to four members of his cabinet from outside of parliament.

These ex-officio members of parliament, unless otherwise provided in any Act, sit and vote in the Legislative Assembly and have all the rights, duties and responsibilities of an elected representative except that they are not entitled to vote in any vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister.

Longolongo polling station, Tongatapu 1 constituency, Nukualofa, Tonga. 20 November 2025 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Teuila Fuatai

2025 general election results

People’s representatives

Tongatapu 1: Tevita Puloka
Tongatapu 2: Semisi Sika (returns to parliament after losing seat in 2021)
Tongatapu 3: Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni
Tongatapu 4: Mateni Tapueluelu
Tongatapu 5: ‘Aisake Eke
Tongatapu 6: Fane Fituafe (newly elected)
Tongatapu 7: Paula Piukala
Tongatapu 8: Viliami Sisifa (newly elected)
Tongatapu 9: Dr Sevenitini Toumo’ua
Tongatapu 10: Kapelieli Lanumata
Eua 11: Dr Taniela Fusimalohi
Ha’apai 12: Saimone Vuki (newly elected)
Ha’apai 13: Esafe Latu (newly elected)
Vava’u 14: Dr Moale ‘Otunuku
Vava’u 15: Dr Alani Tangitau (newly elected)
Vava’u 16: Viliami Latu
Niua 17: Latai Tangimana (newly elected)

Nobles representatives

Va’vau (2 reps)

Incumbent Lord Tuiafitu 5 vote (re-elected)
Incumbent Lord Tuilakepa 5 votes (re-elected)
Lord Luani 3 votes
Lord Fulivai 1 vote

Ha’apai (2 reps)

Incumbent Lord Fakafanua 6 votes (re-elected)
Incumbent Lord Tuihaangana 6 votes(re-elected)
Lord Tuihaateiho 2 votes

Eua (1 rep)

Lord Lasike 1 vote
Lord Veéhala 20 votes (newly elected)

Tongatapu (3 reps)

Lord Lasike 6 votes
Lord Ma’afu 12 votes (newly elected)
Lord Tu’ivakano 8 votes (elected)
Lord Vaea 10 votes (elected)

Ongo Niua (1 rep)

Lord Fotofili (won unopposed)

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 20, 2025

Should I kick my diet soft-drink habit? Where do I start?

Source: Radio New Zealand

The average Australian drinks almost 60 litres of soft drink a year. Many people see diet soft drinks as a “healthier” choice than regular ones, and when it comes to sugar, that’s true.

For example, a 375 millilitre can of Coca-Cola contains about seven teaspoons of added sugar (almost to 40 grams). That’s close to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) daily recommended limit for added sugars of 50g.

In comparison, the Diet Coke version is sweetened with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and does not contain sugar.

Are diet soft drinks really that bad?

A 375 millilitre can of Coca-Cola contains about seven teaspoons of added sugar.

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Diet soft drinks provide few nutrients. They often contain artificial sweeteners and caffeine, and while they’re low in energy (kilojoules), they aren’t filling.

People who regularly drink diet soft drinks may have a higher risk of developing conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean the drinks cause these conditions. People who already have health concerns or are trying to manage their weight may be more likely to choose diet drinks, which might make this evidence a little misleading.

How about artificial sweeteners?

In 2023, the WHO classified aspartame (a common sweetener found in many diet soft drinks) as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. This means the evidence linking aspartame to cancer is currently limited and not conclusive.

The WHO also emphasised that the public generally consumes safe levels of aspartame and only has evidence for concern if people drink the equivalent to 14 cans of soft drink a day.

Can I get used to the sweetness?

An occasional diet drink isn’t likely to fuel an addiction to sweet foods, but cutting back is still a good idea if this has become a daily habit.

After people cut back on very sweet foods or drinks, some research suggests they start noticing sweetness more easily and find very sweet things taste too sweet.

So if you’re trying to enjoy less-sweet drinks, give it time. Within a few weeks you might actually prefer the less-sweet taste.

Unsweetened tea is a healthier alternative to diet soda.

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Here are three evidence-based strategies to help you adjust.

1. Water it down

A gentle first step is to dilute your soft drink. Start by pouring less soft drink into a glass and topping it up with water or soda water, then gradually adjust the ratio over time.

It may taste less sweet at first, but your taste buds will adapt. This slow, steady approach can make change feel easier and more sustainable than quitting abruptly.

2. Make smarter swaps

Try replacing diet soft drink with a healthier alternative that still delivers flavour or fizz. Sparkling water or soda water with a squeeze of lime or lemon and a few mint leaves gives you the same bubbly refreshment with a natural and refreshing flavour. Add ice if it is a hot day, or to provide some crunch.

If you prefer plain water but it feels boring, infuse it with slices of fruit, cucumber, berries or herbs.

You could also try unsweetened iced tea, such as black, green or herbal tea. These offer a mild caffeine lift without the added sweeteners and can be served cold with ice and lemon.

Coconut water can also be a healthier alternative as it is low in sugar while providing some additional electrolytes, which help balance fluid in the body.

There is also emerging evidence some artificial sweeteners might irritate the gut or alter the balance of gut bacteria. These effects are still being investigated. But they’ve added to concerns about the health impacts of drinking diet soft drinks over a long period of time.

So if you reach for diet soft drinks, is that so bad? Or is it worth giving them up too?

3. Know your triggers

If you often reach for a soft drink out of habit, boredom or an afternoon energy slump, paying attention to these moments can help. Once you spot your triggers, you can plan a different response. Take a short walk, call a friend or make a cup of tea instead.

Keeping a chilled, reusable water bottle nearby also helps. If your drink is always within reach, you’re less likely to grab a diet soft drink when you’re out and about.

If you drink diet soft drinks because you’re hungry, reach for something nourishing instead, such as a handful of nuts, a yoghurt or a piece of fruit. These foods will satisfy you for longer than a can of diet soft drink because they have nutrients, such as fibre, to keep you fuller for longer.

The bottom line

You don’t have to give up diet soft drinks altogether. But being mindful of how much soft drink you drink, and how often, can help you make choices that better support your long-term health.

Start small, be consistent and let your taste buds adjust. Over time, you might find what once tasted “flat” now feels refreshingly natural.

Lauren Ball is professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland, Emily Burch is accredited practising dietitian and lecturer, Southern Cross University and Mackenzie Derry is nutritionist, dietitian & PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

November 19, 2025

Tonga election: Polls open for voters to elect new Legislative Assembly

Source: Radio New Zealand

Incumbent Prime Minister Dr 'Aisake Eke, who took on the role nine months ago, and his predecessor Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, who resigned ahead of a no-confidence motion, are contesting the election.

Polls have opened in Tonga on Thursday for voters to elect their 17 representatives in the Legislative Assembly, while the kingdom’s nobles will also elect nine of their own representatives today.

More than 200 polling stations are operating across the country’s islands, with a team of about 600 officials co-ordinating voting. About half of the polling stations are on Tongatapu.

There are 71 candidates vying for a seat in parliament, including eight women.

The electoral roll has more than 64,000 voters, however Supervisor of Elections Peter Vuki does not expect that many ballots to be cast.

Longolongo polling station, Tongatapu 1 constituency, Nukualofa, Tonga. 20 November 2025 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Teuila Fuatai

Voter participation has declined in the past 15 years, which Vuki said was due to a range of reasons, including large numbers of registered voters being overseas on polling day.

He said with a polling station in every village, anyone who is registered to vote should be turning up today.

“It should be easy for them to get to either the community hall or church hall that we’re using for these elections. So hopefully they will turn up and cast [a ballot],” Vuki said.

“It is very important to vote – it’s very important for all of us.”

Tonga Supervisor of Elections Pita Vuki. 19 November 2025

Tonga Supervisor of Elections Pita Vuki Photo: RNZ Pacific / Teuila Fuatai

Incumbent Prime Minister Dr ‘Aisake Eke, who took on the role nine months ago, and his predecessor Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, who resigned ahead of a no-confidence motion, are contesting the election. Both men are being touted as key players for the prime ministership. Two nobles’ representatives – Lord Fakafanua and Lord Tu’ivakano – have also expressed interest in being prime minister.

Following the election, the newly convened Legislative Assembly is responsible for nominating one of its elected members to be appointed by the King as the Prime Minister. Following that, the prime minister picks his Cabinet, up to four of whom may be from outside parliament.

Polling stations for the general public will close at 4pm local time.

The nobles’ election process runs from 10am to 12pm. Results are announced at each polling station once voting finishes.

The overall count is then tallied at the Electoral Commission’s office in Nuku’alofa.

Vuki said he expected the results to be announced tonight.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Eight new MPs elected to Tonga parliament

2025 general election results

Should I kick my diet soft-drink habit? Where do I start?

Are diet soft drinks really that bad?

Tonga election: Polls open for voters to elect new Legislative Assembly