Author: Press Room
French movie star Gérard Depardieu was convicted Wednesday of sexually assaulting two women on a set and received an 18-month suspended prison sentence in a case that was widely seen as a post-#MeToo test for the country’s film industry.The 76-year-old Depardieu, one of the most prominent figures in French cinema for decades, must also pay both accusers a total of €29,040 (NZ$54,679) in fines, and the court ordered that his name be listed in the national sex offender database.The actor was convicted of groping a 54-year-old woman responsible for decorating the set and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of…
A man has been arrested after allegedly riding a dirt bike dangerously through traffic in Auckland on Sunday morning — despite a warning from police to stop.Police pulled up the dirt bike rider who who had been reportedly performing wheelies and riding into oncoming traffic in Manurewa at around 9.30am on Sunday.”The officer asked the rider to stop his behaviour and leave the area as he was putting other drivers at risk,” said Inspector Warrick Adkin.The rider was allegedly undeterred by the warning and left the scene at speed, riding into oncoming traffic.The police helicopter Eagle tracked the rider to…
Two more locations of interest have been revealed by Health New Zealand after a case of measles was identified in Auckland.Several locations of interest were named yesterday, including multiple ferry journeys and Woolworths Kelston.The case was linked to overseas travel, with Fullers360 confirming it was a member of its marine crew.In a statement this afternoon, Health NZ revealed an Auckland pharmacy and a second supermarket as places the person visited while infectious.The details of the new locations were the Unichem pharmacy in New Lynn on May 7 between 9am and 10.30am, and the Mount Albert Pak’nSave on May 7 between…
Key diary datesWednesday 14 May – College of commissioners set to agree second omnibus proposal for simplification of regulation related to agriculture.Wednesday 14 May – Farmer’s Horizon: Sustainability, Innovation and the Toolbox event at Euronews, Brussels, featuring interview with Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen.Thursday 15 May – EU Foreign Ministers to hold a policy debate on EU-US trade relations during Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.Friday 16 May – Sixth meeting of the European Political Community in Tirana, Albania under the theme ‘New Europe in a new world: unity – cooperation – joint action’.In spotlightADVERTISEMENTYet another “omnibus” – the EU’s increasingly favoured…
A planned central Dunedin development has shrunk by two storeys and its apartments will now be available to rent rather than buy. Otherplaces has been granted resource consent by the Dunedin City Council to construct a three-storey commercial and residential building at the corner of Filleul and Hanover Sts. The development, to be known as “Hanover Place”, is described on the company’s website as providing an “alternative to traditional student accommodation”. The ground floor would comprise three small commercial units as well as communal facilities for a total of 16 upstairs studio apartments, a report said. A kitchen, laundry, lounge,…
The local State of Emergency on Banks Peninsula has been lifted after monitoring of a slip in Akaroa showed no further significant land movement.Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger lifted the State of Emergency at 3pm today, saying monitoring equipment at a slip in Akaroa had revealed there had been “no further significant land movement”.”With that information, we’re now in a position to make a decision on the evacuation zone, begin work on the slip remediation options and lift the State of Emergency.”Emergency services were called to Lighthouse Rd on May 1 due to a large crack in the road, with four…
ADVERTISEMENTThree associations representing victims of the storm that caused hundreds of deaths in the province of Valencia last October travelled to Brussels, to meet representatives from European institutions.The victims of the so-called “Dana” had the opportunity to share their experiences and the challenges they are still facing in four different meetings, with the European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen, the vice-president Teresa Ribera, the European Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola and a cross-party group of MEPs.The associations were “Asociación Víctimas Mortales Dana 29-0”, “Associació de Víctimes de la Dana 29 d’Octubre de 2024” and “Asociación Damnificados de la Dana Horta…
New Zealand’s grid operator Transpower wants to replace the ageing power cables underneath the Cook Strait that carry electricity between the North and South islands in an investment worth up to $1.4 billion.The 350 kV high voltage direct current link stretches from Benmore Substation in Canterbury’s Waitaki Valley to Haywards Substation near Lower Hutt.They were predominantly overhead lines but include three submarine cables across the Cook Strait.Transpower chief executive James Kilty said the cables were “really important assets” for the country.”They’re coming to the end of their 40-year life and our proposal is to replace them and extend them for…
ADVERTISEMENTThe UK’s Court of Appeal has quashed the murder conviction of a man who has spent almost 38 years in prison after fresh DNA evidence emerged.Peter Sullivan was convicted of the murder of Diane Sindall in 1987 and sentenced to life in prison. He is believed to be the longest-serving living victim of a miscarriage of justice in the UK’s history. Sullivan has maintained his innocence throughout that time, his lawyer, Sarah Myatt said.Sindall, a 21-year-old florist who had been working part-time in a bar as she saved money for her wedding, was found dead on 2 August 1986 after leaving…
Families and loved ones of those resting in unmarked graves at a south Auckland cemetery want a memorial to be a place of peace, reflection and love — where all are welcome.The unmarked graves at Pukekohe Cemetery, many of them Māori babies, have long been a source of pain to many in the rural south Auckland community.The decision to build a memorial came in the wake of the publication of Dr Robert Bartholomew’s 2020 book No Māori Allowed, which detailed historic racism in Pukekohe, and the subsequent Reikura Kahi documentary of the same name on TVNZ+.In the documentary, it was…