Author: Press Room
Connie Francis, the wholesome pop star of the 1950s and ’60s whose hits included Pretty Little Baby and Who’s Sorry Now? — the latter would serve as an ironic title for a personal life filled with heartbreak and tragedy — has died at age 87.Her death was announced Thursday by her friend and publicist, Ron Roberts, who did not immediately provide additional details. Earlier this month, Francis posted that she had been hospitalised with “extreme pain”. Francis had gained renewed attention in recent months after Pretty Little Baby became a sensation on TikTok, with Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner among…
An Auckland teenager is paralysed in a Vietnamese hospital after developing a rare and serious neurological condition while travelling with family to celebrate her 18th birthday.Auri Law travelled to the Southeast Asian country to mark a milestone birthday and meet her older sister Caea and uncle and aunt.After a day of biking in hot conditions on July 7, she began to experience symptoms. She was initially treated for dehydration at a local hospital and discharged, but was rushed back hours later when she became unable to move her legs.Doctors soon became concerned about her respiratory system failing and potentially requiring…
Fat Freddy’s Drop founding member and beatmaker Chris Faiumu has died. Chris Faiumu was known by his stage name DJ Fitchie or DJ Mu and helped develop the band’s widely regarded sound. Growing from Faimu’s already established career, Fat Freddy’s formed in 1999, following his experimentation with live instrumentation and vocals in his DJ sets. In 2005 the collective of Wellington musicians burst onto the national scene with the release of their first studio album Based On A True Story.Chris Faiumu pictured in 2004. (Source: 1News)The album sold over 100,000 copies in New Zealand and spent 108 weeks consecutively in…
Retirement is beginning to look very different for Kiwis, with growing numbers still renting, paying a mortage, or owning a home of decreasing value. Claire Dale reports.Changes to KiwiSaver, global economic uncertainty and predictions house prices could drop by as much as 20% by 2030 all mean retirement is looking very different to how it once did.A retirement strategy based on the equity held in a house is no longer as reliable as it has been in the past. Home ownership in Aotearoa New Zealand fell from 75% in 1991 to 60% in 2023 and is projected to fall to…
1News Māori Affairs Correspondent Te Aniwa Hurihanganui has lifted the lid on her “bombshell” scoop that set the ball rolling on a national debate and mass opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill last year.In an episode of Media Chaplaincy NZ podcast re_covering, released on RNZ on Wednesday, Hurihanganui reflected on reporting the exclusive first insights into the detail of the Act Party Bill in January 2024.At the time, Hurihanganui was headed to a national hui called by Kīngi Tūheitia at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia. Her story for the 6pm news was meant to be a set-up piece on who would…
By euronews Published on 17/07/2025 – 22:03 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT The Austrian extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner, who became world-famous for his jump from the stratosphere, has died in an accident in Italy. This was reported by several Italian media outlets. The Italian fire brigade and the Foreign Ministry in Vienna have confirmed the accident. According to previous information, the 56-year-old was travelling with his paraglider on the Adriatic coast, taking off from Fermo. He reportedly lost control of the paraglider, the reason for which remains unclear. What is certain is that he crashed. A tourist saw the accident and immediately alerted the…
A “dramatic” shift of KiwiSaver investments into riskier funds should make New Zealanders better off in the long run, if past trends hold true.The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) released research this week noting the significant shift in risk of KiwiSaver investments.The proportion of KiwiSaver in funds that are risk category five, with high volatility, has quadrupled from 10% in 2021 to more than 40% in 2024.Riskier funds can be expected to be more volatile, but over the long term should produce better results. They are generally recommended for investors who still have a significant period of time until they need…
DOC is seeking information after two separate incidents of concerning behaviour towards marine mammals were reported in Auckland.In early June, members of the public discovered two dead kekeno/NZ fur seals on Muriwai Beach in West Auckland with their heads removed. Investigator with DOC’s national compliance team Eva Obushenkova said that “DOC science staff who’ve seen the images say the decapitations are the result of human actions, and not predation by another species”. “It’s not acceptable for people to tamper with protected wildlife, and it’s illegal to remove a protected species’ head,” Obushenkova said, according to the Marine Mammals Protection Act.…
A Lower Hutt sushi restaurant has been ordered by the Employment Relations Authority to pay $30,000 in penalties after multiple breaches of employment standards in relation to an “inherently vulnerable” migrant worker. The restaurant, Well Sushi, was previously ordered to pay the former employee, who was in New Zealand on a work visa, $53,940.03 in wage arrears, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said. The arrears have since been paid to the worker, who is now a permanent resident of New Zealand.The breaches, which Well Sushi acknowledged, included: failing to keep accurate wage and time records; not paying…
ADVERTISEMENT Ukraine’s new government has approved plans to expand domestic arms production to meet half the country’s weapons needs within six months as it tries to push back Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday. “We are transforming the management of the defence sector and weapons production so that within six months, the share of Ukrainian-made weapons available to our warriors will noticeably increase,” Zelenskyy said in a speech to parliament in Kyiv. “Currently, about 40% of the weapons in the hands of our warriors are made in Ukraine. In six months, it should be no less than 50%.” Ukraine…