Author: Press Room

Russia launched 111 drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine, according to authorities. ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian authorities have reported that a wave of Russian overnight drone strikes from Saturday into Sunday has killed two people in the eastern city of Kharkiv and wounded 35 others.Russia launched a total of 111 drones and decoy drones over Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 65 of the drones, while 35 went off radar likely due to electronic jamming.The two victims in Kharkiv, which has been subject to almost daily attacks, were a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman, said Kharkiv’s regional governor,…

A Wellington street artist’s latest work pranking the city council is being celebrated by officials as “a good injection of humour” into the capital.Cameron Hunt’s been installing fake Wellington City Council signs in iconic spots.”I’m just putting them there for the people to enjoy, to have a bit of fun,” Hunt told 1News.The first sign was noticed in the Wellington Botanic Garden’s pond, warning people not to “feed the crocodiles”.The phone number on the sign was for the Platypus shoe store on Manners St – Wellington’s largest distributor of croc shoes.A second sign popped up in the water feature at…

After a fire destroyed the central Otago town of Roxburgh’s historic cinema and town hall earlier this year, locals are embracing an outdoor sequel to screenings as plans for a new venue take shape.The cinema, which is the longest continuously running movie theatre in the Southern Hemisphere, was ravaged by fire on Waitangi Day, leaving little more than the façade of the building standing.The cinema opened on December 11, 1897 and could seat 258 people.Now, to keep the Guinness World Record record going, films will need to be screened either in another building nearby or somewhere on the original site.While…

More than half a million Kiwis are accessing food banks each month to get by – the highest number on record.However, the donated supplies needed to feed them is not growing at the same pace.A recent survey from the New Zealand Food Network, a not-for-profit organisation which distributes food to food banks across the country, revealed that food hubs were providing support to more than 500,000 individuals a month between July and December 2024.This was up from the previous number of 454,000 individuals between January and June 2024.New Zealand Food Network chief executive Gavin Findlay said it was a “challenging…

İmamoğlu, widely seen as the main political challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule, was jailed on 23 March pending trial on corruption charges. ADVERTISEMENTHundreds of thousands of protesters have congregated in Istanbul to how their support for the city’s imprisoned mayor and demand his release.Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) organised the demonstration, the latest in a series of protests that have resulted in hundreds of arrests and have dialled up the pressure on the country’s long-time leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key political rival to Erdoğan, was detained on 19 March…

Six senior doctors at Nelson Hospital have spoken out about their concerns staffing levels are putting patients lives in danger. The doctors say they – along with their union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists – have privately raised their concerns with management for months, if not years. This is the first in a two-part series by 1News’ Jessica Roden.Some of Nelson’s most experienced senior doctors say a lack of staff in their departments has led to waitlists blowing out, sometimes putting patients’ lives in danger.The obstetrics and gynaecology department now has more than 1000 people on their waitlist, with…

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says he wants bipartisan support for the Government’s sweeping reform package, but that allowing access to early drafting of the legislation would simply have meant “having endless cups of tea”.The Government plans to replace the RMA with two new pieces of legislation, which he said would involve “fewer plans, fewer consents” and a simpler planning system.But it comes after the coalition scuppered the previous Labour government’s own RMA reform package, which itself was drafted without cross-party input.In recent years, industry experts have increasingly called for greater bipartisan agreement on large infrastructure projects and significant planning…

The Housing Minister says he doesn’t believe tightened eligibility rules for emergency housing have led to more homelessness, despite reports the move has led to a rise in rough sleeping.Fewer numbers of people living in emergency housing have been touted as a success by the Government, but some organisations say it has come as a result of pushing people onto the streets instead of improving people’s permanent living situations.Speaking to Q+A, Minister Chris Bishop said he didn’t believe the Government’s changes to emergency housing eligibility had raised homelessness levels. He said: “It has made the system clearer for everybody to…

Authorities in the Czech Republic’s Olomouc region declare a state of emergency a month after a train derailment caused what they called the world’s largest benzene contamination of its kind. ADVERTISEMENTCzech officials declared a state of emergency in the vicinity of Hustopeče nad Bečvou in the Přerov region due to the spread of toxic benzene following a train crash on 28 February.Olomouc Governor Ladislav Okleštěk declared the emergency after the toxic substance had already completely contaminated the nearby lake. He says the order was needed to enable faster remediation of the contaminated soil and water.”We have unanimously agreed to declare…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she has sought external advice on a possible break-up of the supermarket duopoly to help accelerate grocery competition. Willis said the Government was open to a range of “interventions” in the sector, focusing on making it easier for a third national competitor to enter the market.But the senior minister said she was also open to considering more drastic measures. “We can’t just wait for another competitor to arrive in order to make the New Zealand grocery sector more competitive sooner. It is possible that more significant reform of the underlying grocery market structure may be…