Author: Press Room

A large number of weather alerts have been issued for regions up and down the country as two active fronts approach New Zealand. You can find a full list of all weather watches and warnings below.According to MetService, the first front would be preceded by heavy rain and gale north-westerlies, and was expected to move northwards over the South Island today and tomorrow morning. Another active front, preceded by gale north-easterlies, was expected to move over the upper North Island tomorrow.Orange heavy rain warnings were issued for parts of the North and South Islands. 1News weather presenter Daniel Corbett said…

ADVERTISEMENTThe Netherlands is ramping up its pressure on Israel over its war on Hamas in Gaza in what appears to be a significant change in course for one of Israel’s most loyal allies.Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on Wednesday that Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid is in violation of international humanitarian law, and urged collective action from Brussels to review the EU-Israel trade deal.”What we’re doing here, is giving a very clear signal,” Veldkamp said at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Warsaw.”We’ve drawn our line in the sand because the situation in Gaza Strip is dismal,…

A decision by the Selwyn mayor to fly to Wellington while his region was under a heavy rain warning has been defended by the council boss.Mayor Sam Broughton announced a state of emergency for his flood-hit region in a social media post on May 1 at 6.30am, from a hotel room in the capital.Broughton and councillor Elizabeth Mundt flew to Wellington on the afternoon of April 30 for the All of Local Government meeting – a gathering of council and Government representatives.MetService had issued an orange rain warning for Canterbury on the morning of April 30.Locals have expressed anger on…

ADVERTISEMENTOver a quarter of a century after the explosion of the World Wide Web, the digital revolution in the EU appears to have stopped halfway.The latest Eurostat report on the bloc’s digitalisation shows 44% of the population lacks basic digital skills. More concretely, over 150 million people can’t do things like searching for information online, sending emails or other communications, installing software, protecting personal data or creating digital content.Miles away from the 80% digital literacy target set by the EU for 2030.The lowest rates were reported across Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia and Italy, while the Netherlands, Finland, Ireland and Denmark…

The National Party leadership briefed its MPs two days in advance of the Government’s announcement to overhaul the pay equity system that makes it tougher for women to lodge claims.While the party caucus was meeting at 10am on Tuesday — an hour before Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden revealed the pay equity changes — Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis considered it significant enough to give its MPs more warning.The pay equity reforms would have inevitably raised questions with MPs about how to sell the legislative change, particularly to women voters, and how to answer media questions about the rationale…

ADVERTISEMENTA new series of US products has been targeted for potential EU tariffs including aerospace champion Boeing, in case negotiations with the US administration end in deadlock, the  European Commission announced on Thursday.“We believe there are good deals to be made for the benefit of consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,” Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement adding, however: “At the same time, we continue preparing for all possibilities.”Since mid-March the US has imposed 25% tariffs on EU aluminium and steel, 25% on cars and a 10% blanket tariff on all EU imports.US…

Some airport bosses believe the regions are suffering from high airfares because Air New Zealand’s dominance of domestic flights.An initial assessment of whether a competition market study into domestic flights would be worthwhile has been completed by Commerce Commission this week — with the outcome a disappointment for regional airports and the regions they served.In regional airports, most often than not, there is little to no competition for flights from the big centres and often the only choice was the national carrier.Invercargill Airport chief executive Stuart Harris told 1News he has noticed the impact that had.”Airfare prices in Invercargill at…

ADVERTISEMENTIran has denied any involvement in an alleged terror plot against Israel’s embassy in London, following the arrest of five Iranian nationals on Saturday. Four of the men who were arrested in counter-terrorism raids across England over the weekend are still being questioned by police, who say they were detained in connection with a suspected plan to attack a “specific premises”. The Metropolitan Police said it could not give more details amid a “fast-moving” investigation. However, British media reports suggest that the intended target was Israel’s embassy in central London. Reacting to the allegations, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi…

ADVERTISEMENTEuronews Romania will exclusively stage and air the first Romanian presidential election debate this evening as final candidates Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan and AUR party leader George Simion face off in a three-hour television duel.Relations with the EU, NATO, the war in Ukraine and the economy will be key themes as they meet at 1900 CET before an audience in the Aula Magna of the Polytechnical University of Romania balanced in its support for the pair.The Romanian election is viewed as existential for the future of the country, but will also impact central Europe and the EU as a whole,…

Eight people were injured after a bus with school students on board crashed into a tree in southern Auckland this morning. Police said the crash occurred at around 8.45am on Elliot Street in Pahurehure, Papakura, when a bus hit a tree. St John said it assessed eight people at the scene, with three taken to Middlemore Hospital.Two of them were in a serious condition and one was moderate. Emergency services at the scene of a crash on Elliot Street in Papakura. (Source: 1News)”Two other patients self-transported to a local medical centre, in a moderate condition.”The remaining three patients were assessed…