Author: Press Room
A person has died in a house fire in Christchurch this afternoon.Emergency services were called to the scene on Dickson Cres in Hornby at around 12.55pm, police said.”Tragically, a resident of the house was found deceased inside the house.”Four fire trucks were called to the scene but two have since been stood down, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson confirmed to 1News. Cordons are in place on Dickson Cres while fire services continue work to extinguish the fire before carrying out a scene examination.
A box of moustache wax, a bag full of toilet paper and a bridesmaid’s dress are just some of the unusual items that were abandoned on InterCity buses in 2024.In a statement, the transport company said passengers left behind a trove of belongings this year ranging “from the mundane to the outright bizarre”.Among the standouts included a box of moustache wax, a fake arm, dentures, and even a bridesmaid’s dress.Other unusual items included a bag full of toilet paper, a toilet seat in a box, a fire safety blanket and a collection of dolls.InterCity’s chief operating officer Sam Peate said…
As European Home Affairs ministers meet in Brussels for their monthly meeting, they face the question of the possible return of Syrians to their home country. ADVERTISEMENTJust days after the fall of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, countries across Europe are already discussing the possible fate of the thousands of Syrian refugees that have fled to the continent.Several countries, including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Sweden, and Denmark, have already announced they will pause asylum applications for Syrian refugees.But as European interior ministers meet in Brussels for their monthly meeting, they are still divided on the scenarios for possible returns…
A Flaxmere resident says he can’t stop smiling now “the damn monstrosity of a sign” put in front of the suburb by Hastings District Council has been taken down.Mark Davis, who has lived in Flaxmere since the 1970s, was appalled when he first laid eyes on the Hastings ‘H’ sign on Flaxmere Ave.”It just appeared. No communication with the community. It was just there,” Davis said of the May arrival of the sign.But he didn’t just shake his head and walk away. He decided to do something about it. He took to social media on November 6.He wrote he had…
The grief-stricken partner of a Christchurch man who was fatally stabbed when walking his dog has recounted to the High Court how she found him bloodied and “dying in front of her” the morning he was attacked.It came during the first of several heart-wrenching victim impact statements heard from friends and family of Nigel Wilson, as the man’s 20-year-old killer was sentenced today in the High Court at Christchurch.Bailey Messervy was jailed for 17 years and six months after being found guilty for the murder of Wilson, 62, who was found badly injured with several stab wounds at Bexley Reserve…
Austria’s public prosecutor’s office wants to investigate Herbert Kickl on suspicion of giving false testimony to a public inquiry. ADVERTISEMENTAustrian lawmakers have lifted the immunity of the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), Herbert Kickl, leaving him open to investigation for allegedly giving false testimony to a parliamentary inquiry. The decision is the latest political setback for Kickl, whose party came first in national elections in September, only to be blocked from a governing coalition when Austria’s other parties refused to work with him. Austria’s public prosecutor wants to investigate allegations that Kickl lied about various matters, including using…
The Iwi Chairs Forum has appealed to King Charles in an open letter over what they say has been an “attack” on the Treaty of Waitangi and concerns about Government policies affecting Māori. The influential forum represents around 80 iwi from across the motu. The group’s letter, first published in The Guardian earlier today, was sent recently after the unprecedented nationwide hīkoi protesting the Treaty Principles Bill — which culminated with more than 40,000 people marching on Parliament. However, the forum listed several wide-ranging areas of concern, including representation on local councils, resource management rights, and the revitalisation of te…
Aleksandar Vučić’s pledge contrasts with a video he released on Tuesday, in which he accused foreign powers of financing the protests. ADVERTISEMENTSerbian president Aleksandar Vučić has said he will bow to protesters’ demands just a day after claiming, without citing evidence, that their actions were being financed by the West. Anger has spread across the Balkan country since 15 people were killed on 1 November when a renovated concrete awning collapsed at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad. Opposition politicians and protesting students have blamed the government for the disaster, suggesting corruption and negligence were to…
Reducing speed limits in the country’s biggest city has just won Auckland Transport a global road safety award in London. But the minister who pledged to reverse the slowdown nationwide has called the award “woke”, and says he has the support of most New Zealanders for his plans. The Prince Michael International Road Safety Award is an annual award presented since 1987 to organisations which have helped to improve road safety.Auckland Transport’s safer speeds programme was nominated for the award by a non-profit which has previously advocated against the Government’s speed limit changes. Former assistant police commissioner Dave Cliff, who…
Romania and Bulgaria will become full-time members of the Schengen Area as of 1 January 2025, completing a process that dates back to 2011, when the European Commission declared both countries ready to join. ADVERTISEMENTRomania and Bulgaria’s shared journey to join the passport-free Schengen Area came to an end on Thursday morning as interior ministers from the European Union gave their final blessing to their hard-fought candidacy.The momentous decision was made possible after Austria, the most ardent opponent, lifted its firmly held veto last month during a meeting in Budapest. “A great victory for Bulgaria, Romania, and all of Europe,”…