Author: Press Room

The Hawke’s Bay chapter of a motorcycle club are mourning a former branch president killed in a crash late last week, saying he “died doing what he loved”.Police have named Mark Macaulay, 68, as the person who died in a crash on Colyton Rd, Bunnythorpe at around 2.55pm on January 12.Three others were injured in the two-vehicle crash — two moderately and one in a minor condition.”Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing,” a police spokesperson said.Ulysses Hawke’s Bay president Tony Hickmott said in a Facebook post the club had lost a “staunch member” of the Ulysses family…

The Kremlin has previously denied Western claims that Russia has organised acts of sabotage and attacks across Europe. ADVERTISEMENTPolish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russia on Wednesday of orchestrating global acts of sabotage, including “acts of air terror” targeting airlines.Speaking at a news conference in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Tusk said he could confirm the validity of “fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror, not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world.”The Kremlin has previously dismissed Western allegations of sponsoring sabotage and attacks in Europe as unfounded.Western security officials, however, suspect Russian intelligence of…

The European Commission has presented a new action plan to enhance the cybersecurity of the healthcare sector amid a rise in ransomware attacks. ADVERTISEMENTThe plan aims to improve the security of hospitals and other digital providers by strengthening capacity to prevent and respond to cybersecurity incidents. “As the sector undergoes a critical transformation it must address significant challenges such as securing electronic healthcare records and integrating AI into the healthcare workforce,” said Henna Virkkunen, commissioner for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, during the presentation of the plan.  The proposal is the first of a series of measures envisioned for the first…

More than 160,000 students can now view their NCEA results on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) website.Students will be able to login using their National Student Number (NSN) or Student Login to access the results. In a statement, the organisation said NZQA’s call centre would stay open until 7pm today, with a specialist team of experienced advisers to answer students’ questions about their results and offer further guidance.”For privacy reasons, NZQA can only give results and NSNs to the students themselves,” NZQA said. While the results are live, students would only be able to view their assessed NCEA exam…

The EU Court agreed on the need to restrict trade with the Moscow-based mobile operator, as it could be helping the Russian army with its invasion of Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU was right to ban trade with Russian mobile operator Megafon following the invasion of Ukraine, judges ruled on Wednesday.  In 2023, the EU added the company to its extensive list of sanctioned entities, arguing it directly supported Russia’s military-industrial complex – but MegaFon protested its rights had been infringed.  “The inclusion and maintenance of that company’s name on the lists of entities subject to the restrictive measures were well founded,”…

The body of a man, believed to be a fisherman who went missing at Piha Beach in Auckland last week, was found yesterday afternoon.Police said it was notified of a body on the shoreline of Piha at around 5.10pm yesterday. “While the formal identification process is yet to be completed, it is believed to be the fisherman reported missing on Thursday 9 January.” “Police and Victim Support are providing support to the man’s family during this difficult time.”Police said the death would be referred to the coroner. The search began on Thursday after the man reportedly fell into the water…

This article was originally published in Polish Poland’s presidential election will take place on 18 May. The election campaign has just started officially. ADVERTISEMENTVictory is important for the ruling Civic Coalition, as their legislative proposals would then no longer be blocked by a president, Andrzej Duda, who is in line with the opposition Law and Justice party.And according to the latest Opinii24 poll for RMF FM, it is their candidate, Rafał Trzaskowski, the current mayor of Warsaw, who has the best chance of winning. But he is closely followed by Law and Justice (PiS)-backed Karol Nawrocki, who is currently the president…

The man who escaped from police custody in Taupō on Monday has handed himself in.He fled from a police transport vehicle at the Taupō District Court at around 6pm on Monday.Shortly after 9am today he handed himself in at Taupō Police Station.Police said he would appear in the Taupō District Court this morning.

Investigations by European NGOs and newspapers point to a concerted industry campaign to limit incoming EU restrictions on PFAS, toxic substances dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ because they can persist for centuries in the environment. The European Commission denies it is being unduly influenced. ADVERTISEMENTEnvironmental groups have launched a broadside at the chemicals industry, accusing lobbyists of a massive campaign to block planned restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) after a pan-European investigation by collaborative investigation.PFAS, first produced in the 1940s, are used in a wide variety of products and industrial processes, from non-stick pans to semiconductor manufacturing, due to their stability,…

Six planets are lining up across the night sky this month in a so-called “parade of planets”.Four of the planets, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye.Astronomer and planet discoverer Ian Griffin said it was a great time to do some sky watching if you were interested in planets.”Because of the way the Earth goes around the Sun and different plants go around the Sun for a short period of time over the next few weeks, you’ve got a whole bunch of naked eye planets on display,” he said.”Starting in the west this evening if…