Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENT Germany deported 81 Afghanistan nationals to their country of origin on Friday, marking the second such operation since the Taliban seized power in 2021 and the first under Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s new government, which has promised a firmer stance on immigration. In a statement, the Interior Ministry confirmed that the men, all of whom had previously come to the attention of judicial authorities, were returned on a flight organised in cooperation with Qatar.  “These are Afghan men who are legally required to leave the country and who have a criminal record,” the ministry said, according to local media. Each…

A fire has extensively damaged a two-storey building in the Wellington suburb of Newtown overnight. A Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1News the fire began in the two-storey building on Mansfield St shortly before midnight. They said the building had been extensively damaged. Nobody was located inside the building. Two crews of firefighters were still at the scene. (Source: 1News)Two crews of firefighters were still at the scene, and fire investigators would return at first light to establish the origin and cause of the fire. The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a Wellington house fire, the UK lowers the…

A top Kiwi rower who was arrested in Seattle after a post-regatta celebration bolted from police while being questioned over an alleged assault and then hid in a bush, official documents say.As first reported by RNZ in May, Zack Rumble, a member of the New Zealand men’s elite team, missed his flight home from the US with his team as he was in police custody. He has now admitted his actions were “not okay”, is banned from drinking while representing Rowing NZ and is on a final warning.The May 3 incident prompted Rowing NZ to launch an independent review of…

A 256-year-old anchor described by Heritage New Zealand as “one of the oldest relics of early European contact with New Zealand” has been located after vanishing for 43 years.The anchor, lost by a French ship more than 250 years ago, had been located by the famous underwater treasure hunter Kelly Tarlton in 1982, but nobody had seen it since.Efforts to relocate the anchor have been the focus of the RNZ podcast Kelly Tarlton’s Final Treasure Hunt.”I think we found… well, I don’t think – I know we found the last de Surville anchor,” marine engineer Brendan Wade said in a…

The Crown says on the evening of 24 January last year, murder-accused Julia DeLuney simply lost control.DeLuney is on trial at the High Court in Wellington, accused of murdering her mother, 79-year-old Helen Gregory, in a violent, possibly financially-motivated attack, which she denies.The Crown began its closing argument on Thursday afternoon, delivered by lead prosecutor Stephanie Bishop.”You will no doubt, members of the jury, have personal feelings about what you’ve heard throughout the course of this trial,” she said. “You will no doubt feel sorry for Mrs Gregory, and the violent end to her life, and you’ll of course, you’ll…

An Auckland man has become the first person in New Zealand to be convicted and sentenced for aiding and abetting his company’s possession of electronic tools that helped evade tax assessments and payment.Gurwinder Singh, who ran a pizza outlet called Just Pizza in Waiuku, was sentenced in the Manukau District Court on July 15 to seven months home detention on tax evasion charges and a charge of aiding and abetting his company for possessing electronic sales suppression tools (ESST).As part of an Inland Revenue (IR) investigation, searches were carried out at his home and business. Bank records were also obtained,…

A woman who hit and killed a young girl while drunk and high on methamphetamine has been sentenced to four years and five months in prison.Terina Pineaha fatally hit 11-year-old Emma-Jane Kupa with her car while the girl was biking to a dairy in Flaxmere, Hawke’s Bay, in January.In May, the 34-year-old mother of five admitted to a raft of charges, including manslaughter, and was on Friday was sentenced in the Napier High Court.The public gallery was filled mainly with Emma-Jane’s whānau, but also several of Pineaha’s family members.When the sentence was read out, several members of Emma-Jane’s family walked…

Two more Wellington council candidates running under the Independent Together ticket have left the group following mayoral candidate Ray Chung’s email about Tory Whanau.In a press release, the group confirmed that Andrea Compton and Dan Milward had left their organisation to campaign independently of it.It follows fellow candidate Lily Brown’s announcement on Wednesday that she would not run with the group either.She said she did not feel aligned with tactics employed by Better Wellington who has helped run Independent Together.The changes meant that the number of candidates that stood under Independent Together had reduced from nine to six.In a statement…

Published on 18/07/2025 – 6:35 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT The European Commission has intensified its rule of law standoff with Hungary by linking future EU funding to adherence to democratic values under its proposed Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the seven-year budget proposal announced this week. Under the new framework, member states must uphold the EU’s core values—including the principles enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Article 2 of the EU Treaty—to access funding and secure project approvals. The move introduces a form of “smart conditionality”, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday. “In the National Regional Partnership Plans,…

A whip wielded by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade that once belonged to Princess Diana has sold at auction for US$525,000 (NZ$881,475).The sale came a day after the Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane went for a staggering US$14.75 million (NZ$24.7 million), making it one of the priciest props in movie history.The items were part of the Summer Entertainment Auction being held all week by Heritage Auctions.Heritage says the overall take has made it the second-highest grossing entertainment auction, and there’s still a day to go.Yet to be up for bids are Macaulay Culkin’s knitted snow cap…