Author: Press Room

Police are appealing for help to identify a “distinctive” container believed to have held the accelerant that fed a fatal fire in Auckland earlier this month, killing a father and son.The blaze – under investigation as a double homicide – broke out at a two-storey home on Murvale Dr in Bucklands Beach around 2.30am on October 2.Five people were inside the house at the time. Three survived, including the mother and another child, who were admitted to hospital but have since been discharged. A boarder living downstairs also escaped unharmed.The victims were 36-year-old Jung Sup Lee and his 11-year-old son…

The 27 leaders of the European Union are gearing up for a high-voltage summit in Brussels with a packed agenda devoted to Ukraine, climate targets and China, all of which could lead to fraught negotiations and delicate compromises in the room. The all-day meeting on Thursday will also address defence readiness, competitiveness, the Middle East, irregular migration and, for the first time, the housing crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the gathering in person to plead for political backing for his strategy and fresh assistance for his armed forces, which is running dangerously low after US President Donald Trump…

A rare Enderby Island rabbit is among “several” bunnies suspected to have been stolen from Canterbury’s Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.The reserve said its “primary concern” was the welfare and safe return of the animals that were a “vital part” of an ongoing rare breeds conservation programme.The Enderby Island rabbit was due to mate with two female rabbits of the same breed, making its disappearance a “serious blow”.It said the breeding programme to preserve the rare and endangered breed was one of its “least known conservation initiatives”. The distinctive animal bred in isolation for more than 100 years after being introduced to…

17:42 GMT+2 Here we go again! Hello and welcome to Euronews’ live blog for the leaders’ summit that will take place in Brussels on Thursday.Our crack team of reporters will bring you the latest on the wide-ranging discussions that will cover support for Ukraine, European defence, competitiveness, the Middle East, migration and even, for the first time ever, housing. Here’s the provisional schedule:08:30  Arrivals and doorsteps10:00  Exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament 11:00  European Council working session – morning13:30  European Council working lunch15:00  European Council working session – afternoon20:00  Euro Summit working dinnerEuropean Council chief Antonio Costa wants this summit to be a…

The Mayor of Kaikōura had a sleepless night in Wellington as he tried to get home after fires broke out across his district.Craig Mackle returned home at lunchtime on Wednesday to have a shower and change out of his suit and into his work gear, ready to get his hands dirty.”I don’t adapt very well to this ‘stand here, watch this’. I prefer to get in and see it done.”Follow 1News’ live updates on the current weather-related eventsSevere wind and fire conditions led to multiple fires breaking out around the same time across the northern part of the Kaikoura district…

European lawmakers rejected on Tuesday a draft law to monitor and report on “forest health”, which would mandate EU countries to collect data on forestry conditions and enable preparedness against forest fires across the bloc. The ballot revealed that the far-right and centrist MEPs predominantly voted no in the European Parliament, with 370 votes against and 261 in favour of draft legislation to harmonise data collection on forests and close knowledge gaps about the state of woodlands across the EU. Tuesday’s vote has effectively killed EU negotiations, following the Parliament’s environment and agriculture committees’ previous rejection of the draft proposal…

Demand for a boutique Dunedin hotel complex has reached “record” highs with two apartments selling for more than $1.4 million each. NZ Property Solutions director Denise Casey said the real estate agency had sold two “luxury apartments” off-plan that were part of the redevelopment of St Clair’s historic Majestic Mansions building. The two north-facing “glazed garden pavilion” units, each on the upper ground floor, were sold for $1.425m and $1.45m — or about $18,000 per square metre, Ms Casey said. Designed by architects Mason & Wales, the two-bedroom and two-bathroom apartments would feature bespoke kitchens, floor-to-ceiling windows and oak ceilings.…

High Performance Sport NZ has quietly footed the bill for an independent review and player wellbeing support in the Silver Ferns’ camp – even as coach at the centre of the crisis, Dame Noeline Taurua, remains a sitting member of the agency’s own board.While Netball NZ grapples with a deepening crisis over Taurua’s suspension, HPSNZ has played a behind-the-scenes role, offering funding, strategic advice, and resourcing to help steer the troubled high performance programme.But its involvement in the highly public, and increasingly political, dispute raises uncomfortable questions.What began as a quietly handled cultural review has spiralled into one of the…

Cyprus has presented a “very specific” six-point plan on Gaza’s recovery to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of a gathering of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday. The country’s President, Nikos Christodoulides, for the first time discussed the details with Euronews. The proposal, elaborated on in a Euronews exclusive, is designed to prop up United States President Donald Trump’s broader 20-point peace initiative, unveiled at the end of September. First discussed with world leaders during the “Gaza Peace Summit” in Sharm-el-Sheikh in mid-October, it involves repurposing the so-called ‘Amalthea’ corridor to both “extract rubble”…

Hastings police are investigating an incident in which a young girl was approached by a man as she was walking home in Whakatu.Detective Sergeant Karli Whiu said the incident occurred at around 3.15pm on Tuesday.The man began interacting with her as she made her way home, Whiu said.“We acknowledge the girl who has done the right thing by avoiding the man, making her way home, and telling her caregivers.”Whiu said officers were working to understand what occurred and inquiries were ongoing.”We understand an incident like this can be unsettling to the community however, we ask parents to be alert, not…