Author: Press Room

A New Mexico court granted a temporary restraining order today against the release of certain records related to the investigation into the recent deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.The order is in response to a request by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple’s estate. She urged in a motion filed last week that the court seal records in the case to protect the family’s right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.Peters emphasised the possibly shocking nature of photographs and video in the investigation and potential for their dissemination by…

A food safety investigation has found a school lunches meal that burnt a Gisborne student came in packaging that was not designed for commercial reheating, and the incident could have been avoided if good processes were in place and followed.Ilminster Intermediate School principal Jonathan Poole said earlier this month that the incident occurred after a student picked up the lunch and was walking with it to a seat, Stuff reported.”It was too hot, it dropped, it exploded, and splattered all over his leg and basically gave him second-degree burns.”The boy was treated at A&E.New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent…

The warrant means that any police officer who encounters the president of the country’s Serb-majority entity of the Republika Srpska must arrest him immediately. ADVERTISEMENTThe Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has issued a nationwide arrest warrant for Milorad Dodik and two others, after the President of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity ignored a state-level one last week.The other two are the entity’s Prime Minister Radovan Višković and National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandić. The warrant means that any police officer in the country who encounters them must arrest them immediately.They are all accused of anti-constitutional conduct. Bosnian media reports that Stevandić…

A man was arrested and more than 70 bags of drugs, including cannabis, cocaine and MDMA, were seized from a car parked in Auckland’s Beachlands overnight.Police received a report of a suspicious vehicle parked on Wakelin Rd with the engine running at around 2.20am.Inspector Rakana Cook said police approached a man who was sitting in the passenger seat and believed to be under the influence of drugs.”Upon seeing police, the man has attempted to get into the driver’s seat and drive off, however, he was quickly taken into custody.”Officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle and…

Grammy-nominated singer Teddy Swims will perform two shows in New Zealand later this year. In October, the 32-year-old from Atlanta (whose real name is Jaten Dimsdale) will bring his I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy tour to Christchurch and Auckland across two nights. On Tuesday 7 October the singer, behind songs like chart topper Lose Control, will take the stage Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch, and Auckland’s Spark Arena on October 9. Tickets go on sale for American Express members on it’s website at 1pm on Wednesday, March 19 and for Frontier touring members on Thursday, March 20 at 1pm via its…

Trade Me is warning people to be wary of scam texts claiming to offer high-paying jobs via the company.A series of recruitment scam messages have been circulating, often from people claiming to represent Trade Me Jobs.They said that they were looking for part-time assistants to do online work for an hour a day, to be paid anywhere from $488 to $2378 per day.Recipients were told all they need was a phone or computer for the salary-plus-commission job, and could also expect maternity leave and statutory holidays — but applicants needed to be at least 25 years old.Head of Trade Me…

The peace talks being held in Geneva aim for reunification, but expectations in the short term are low. ADVERTISEMENTTurkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders met in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday to discuss the possibility of reopening negotiations to discuss the reunification of the Mediterranean island once again.Representatives from Turkey, Greece, the United Kingdom, and the EU will also be present, however chances of a breakthrough are slim. Supporters of the summit valued the mere convening of the meeting, but acknowledged that expectations are very low.According to Turkish diplomatic sources, the meeting will discuss Cyprus’ view on the issue and is…

Tensions erupted in the Hamilton District Court on Monday when a man charged with murdering a 26-year-old and injuring another appeared in the dock.About 50 whānau of the two victims who had packed the public gallery hurled abuse at the 41-year-old as he stood looking out at the courtroom.”Motherf*****,” one yelled. “See what you’ve done to us.”Judge John Bergseng ordered the defendant be taken away temporarily while he asked for calm.The judge told the five court security guards, accompanied by two police officers and Corrections guards, that they could eject anyone from the court if it was warranted.A security guard…

The West Coast has posted the highest increase in median house prices in the country for the year to February 2025, up 16.3% to $377,500. Only six out of 16 regions reported an increase, including Southland which was up 9.2% to $470,000. The national median price of $772,000 was down 2.4% compared to February last year, figures from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand showed. In a statement, acting chief executive Rowan Dixon said February saw a rise in sales but median prices lagged. High numbers of listings could give buyers less urgency; if they missed out on one…

Auckland’s 21 local board chairs have united in a letter to Mayor Wayne Brown, objecting to an expectation that they absorb a $17.6 million budget shortfall.The board chairs have unanimously rejected the council’s proposed cost-cutting measures which are tied to the Fairer Funding initiative — a scheme intended to ensure more equitable funding across Auckland’s local boards.The letter, dated March 10, highlighted that significant cost pressures were beyond the local boards’ control and more than half ($9.1m) of the deficit resulted from changes in the Facilities Scheduled Maintenance Contract.The letter stated: “Local Boards have absolutely NO control over this budget…