Author: Press Room

This article was originally published in German FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai has resigned from his post in the wake of the “D-Day paper” affair. He stated that he had “unknowingly” provided false information about the internal document. ADVERTISEMENTThe so-called “D-Day paper”, a document that revealed apparent plans the FDP had to undermine the three-part coaolition it was part of, has put the party’s leadership under severe pressure. On Friday afternoon, general secretary Djir-Sarai resigned, followed shortly afterwards by party chairman Carsten Reymann.The document, titled “D-Day scenarios and measures” and published on Thursday, contained a detailed plan on the “start of…

Two men were arrested in a Wellington drug bust today — with one alleged to be using social media and “encrypted apps” to sell cocaine to an audience of up to 500 people.Police searched two properties in Khandallah and Hataitai following a two-month investigation into the supply of illegal drugs into the region. Two men, aged 29 and 31, were charged in relation to the supply of cocaine, ketamine, MDMA and cannabis. One of the men also faced a money laundering charge. The 29-year-old were to appear in the Wellington District Court tomorrow, while the 31-year-old would appear on December…

A plan for future housing in Hawke’s Bay has sparked controversy over its proposal to use productive food growing land and low lying flood risk areas.The Heretaunga Plains spread over 300 square kilometres, from the hills of Hawke’s Bay out to the coastline, and much of the area is a patchwork of crops and farms covering the fertile food producing soils which have formed over millions of years.Richard Gaddum formed the Save the Plains Group five years ago to try and protect the soils and prevent the urban sprawl from Hastings and Napier eating up the precious and productive land.”They…

Louise Haigh said her conviction for claiming her mobile phone was stolen was a “genuine mistake”, but risked being a distraction for the government. ADVERTISEMENTBritish Transport Minister Louise Haigh resigned on Friday following revelations of a decade-old fraud conviction for claiming that her mobile phone had been stolen. In her resignation letter to Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Haigh stated her commitment to Labour’s agenda but said that her departure was necessary to avoid distracting from the government’s work. “I remain totally committed to our political project, but now I believe it will be best served by my supporting you from…

Two more water suppliers in Waikato have detected “slightly elevated” levels of arsenic in their water drawn from the Waikato River.Meanwhile, Auckland’s provider, Watercare, said its water supply had met drinking standards.Yesterday evening, both Watercare and the Hamilton City Council reported “elevated levels” of arsenic had been detected at two treatment facilities that drew water from the Waikato River.Watercare said there was “no immediate risk” to public health but reduced production at its Waikato Water Treatment Plant and increased production at its major Ardmore plant.Today, Watercare reported samples that met drinking standards but the Waipā and Waikato district councils reported…

Robert Kennedy Jr could attend a book launch in Romania, claims far-right nationalist presidential candidate Călin Georgescu. ADVERTISEMENTRomania’s far-right nationalist presidential candidate Călin Georgescu said Robert F Kennedy Jr might visit Bucharest to promote his latest book, to which Georgescu wrote the preamble. “As you know, the famous book by Robert Kennedy (Jr), who will most likely be the future secretary of health under President Donald Trump, was prefaced by me, and he has long wanted to come to Romania to launch this book. It is possible that he will do so in the near future,” Georgescu told Romanian channel…

An accommodation business with a difference is going gangbusters in the Hakataramea Valley. Business editor Sally Rae talks to Nest Tree Houses co-founder Liz Hayes about her journey from television journalist to entrepreneurial rural woman. “Random, eh,” says Liz Hayes with a broad smile — and she’s not wrong. She is talking about Nest Tree Houses, the award-winning business she and her husband Andy have developed on their dairy farm Million Springs at the mouth of the Hakataramea Valley, a property farmed by the Hayes family for six generations. Everything about Nest is unlikely, from the destination — the expansive farming valley does not…

Ōhope International Golf Club has been fined $38,500 after club volunteers removed more than 500 native trees and shrubs from a coastal dune area.A judgement was handed down by the Environment Court this week, with the Whakatāne District Council set to receive 90% of the $38,500 fine.The council incurred costs of over $126,000 in its legal case against the club.The enforcement order includes a detailed restoration management plan for the next 10 years — agreed upon by both parties — requiring the club to replant, restore and maintain the site, with estimated costs of up to $300,000 to be paid…

Moscow has been launching intensifying attacks against the Ukrainian energy infrastructure amid threats of using cutting-edge missiles against Kyiv. ADVERTISEMENTRussian strikes on Ukraine killed at least one person and injured 22 over the past day, local authorities reported on Friday. Moscow launched 132 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to a report from Ukraine’s Air Force. Some 88 drones were reportedly shot down by Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile units. One person was killed after Russia targeted settlements in Kherson, and another nine were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Seven people were injured in Odesa, and four were sent to the hospital. Others were injured in…

It was an audacious business idea. And when they won the Audacious Business Challenge back in 2007, it gave brothers Shane and Craig Smith the confidence — and a small amount of cash — to take a year out of their studies to pursue their startup Language Perfect fulltime. In 2013, Education Perfect was launched, as a spin-off from Language Perfect, and eight years later, global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) announced it would take a majority stake in the Dunedin-founded edtech business to the tune of $445 million. The company recently featured on the Sir Paul Callaghan 100…