Author: Press Room

The EU executive will not put a contentious plan to slash pesticide use back on the table, agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen told Euronews, closing a key chapter of the Green Deal. ADVERTISEMENTThe goal of halving pesticide use in the EU by 2030 was once a cornerstone of the European Green Deal. But now, that target has been shelved indefinitely.In an interview with Euronews, Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen confirmed that reviving the plan is no longer on the EU executive’s agenda.”It didn’t work out, and now we have no progress at all. Is that facility off the table? That is off…

A Dunedin man bashed a seagull to death then decapitated it because he believed it had stolen his food, a court has heard. Carl Alan Michelle, 54, pleaded guilty to one charge of ill-treating an animal when he appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday. The court heard that on Wednesday last week, Michelle was in the Octagon sitting on the seats near the Robbie Burns statue. Seagulls were hanging around his feet. He suddenly grabbed one and killed it by battering its head into the concrete seat, then pulled its head off. The defendant then put the dead seagull…

Air New Zealand has posted an interim net profit of $106 million, but is expecting performance for the second half of the year to be “significantly lower”.It’s interim net profit last year was $129m.Chief executive officer Greg Foran noted ongoing challenges, which included aircraft groundings associated with engine maintenance problems impacting Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce customers globally, which power its Airbus Neo and Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets.“Investment in modern, fuel-efficient aircraft is an important part of Air New Zealand’s fleet strategy.“But with over $1 billion worth of our newest, most efficient aircraft grounded at times, it’s been a tough…

The press conference with Keith Kellogg and the Ukrainian president was called off in Kyiv on Thursday, just one day after Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator” and criticised his leadership. ADVERTISEMENTA press conference featuring US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was cancelled Thursday at the request of the US delegation, according to officials in Kyiv.Zelenskyy and retired US General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, were supposed to speak to the press after their meeting in the Ukrainian capital.However, the event has been called off, the Ukrainian president’s spokesperson Serhii Nikiforov said.…

District councillors are urging staff to investigate options for restoring the Gisborne-East Coast region’s famous Tolaga Bay Wharf, which is suffering “ongoing deterioration” after severe weather in 2023/24.In 2014, $5.5 million worth of restoration work was done on the wharf. It was primarily focused on the first half of the structure in an effort led by Save the Tolaga Bay Wharf Trust.Last year, Tolaga Bay resident Clive Bibby requested the council accept responsibility for the upkeep of the wharf and Reynolds Hall in the East Coast township due to a “historical commitment”.The wharf is owned and maintained by the district…

Five people have been injured, two seriously, while trying to erect a structure on private land north of Napier this morning.St John said it responded to an incident on Ohurakura Rd, Te Pohue at 8.36am with two ambulances and one helicopter.”Four patients, three in moderate conditions and one in a serious condition, are being transported by road to Hawke’s Bay Hospital. One additional patient, in a serious condition, is being airlifted to Hawke’s Bay Hospital,” a St John spokesperson said.Fire and Emergency NZ said it was aware of the incident and that two of the five injured were local volunteer…

New Zealand is aware of a Chinese naval task group sailing in international waters off Australia and is monitoring it, says Defence Minister Judith Collins.The Australian Defence Department said the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class Cruiser named Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu have continued sailing down the coast after being spotted to the north east of the country last week, the ABC reported.British newspaper the Financial Times reported around 12 hours ago the ships were around 150 nautical miles (277km) east of Sydney.Collins said the New Zealand Defence Force is monitoring the group, in coordination with Australia.”We have…

The two women were reportedly employees of the shop where the attack happened and a 16-year-old youth has been detained for questioning by police. ADVERTISEMENTTwo women have been killed in a knife attack at a shopping centre in the Czech Republic, officials have said.Police say they detained a teenage suspect in connection with the stabbings in a store in the city of Hradec Králové, around 100 kilometres east of the capital Prague.Police say the two victims were employed in the store where the attack happened.”We caught up with the male suspect approximately 10 minutes later, less than a kilometre from the…

The police watchdog is criticising police after they decided not to lay criminal charges against an officer who admitted to beating his children with a belt.In a decision released on Thursday, Independent Police Conduct Authority chairperson Judge Kenneth Johnston, KC, concluded the officer’s use of a webbed belt to discipline his children constituted three offences of assault on a child.Inquiries began on July 28, 2023 after Officer A came to the attention of police and Oranga Tamariki when it was reported that he had physically disciplined his children. Police advised the IPCA and also notified Oranga Tamariki.Police and Oranga Tamariki…

Pope Francis is recovering from pneumonia, eating breakfast out of bed after a peaceful night, the Holy See spokesperson said Thursday. ADVERTISEMENTThe head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis continued his recovery from pneumonia, eating breakfast out of bed on Thursday morning after a sixth peaceful night at the hospital, the Vatican said. The Holy See’s spokesperson Matteo Bruni issued a new update after confirming late Wednesday that new blood tests showed a “slight improvement” in some areas. The 88-year-old pontiff, who had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023, is prone to respiratory infections in the wintertime. Pope Francis…