Author: Press Room

Two people critically injured in a two-car crash in north-west Auckland over the weekend have died of their injuries.Emergency services were called to the collision on Kahikatea Flat Rd in Waitoki around 10pm on Saturday.Two ambulances, two rapid response vehicles, and one operations manager were called to the scene, a Hato Hone St John spokesperson told 1News. Both drivers were taken to Auckland Hospital in critical condition, where they died of their injuries.”Our thoughts are with both their loved ones during this tragic time,” police said today.An investigation into the cause of the crash was ongoing.

While Germany and Spain strongly endorse the Mercosur deal, France is trying to rally a blocking minority to halt the agreement. It is hopeful that Italy, Austria, Poland and the Netherlands will join Paris. ADVERTISEMENTAs negotiators from all sides on the Mercosur deal enter a new round of negotiations this week ahead of a meeting in Uruguay on 5 and 6 December at which there are hopes the deal can be closed, France is stepping up its attempts to rally support from Italy, Austria, Poland and the Netherlands to halt the deal in its tracks.After 25 years of talks, the…

Crews are battling a house fire in Wellington this afternoon.Fire and Emergency NZ said it was called to the blaze in Kelburn around 2.40pm.Fire and Emergency said there was no one in the Plunket St building.People were asked to avoid the area, and those living nearby were encouraged to shut their doors and windows and turn off air conditioning.

Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin has opened up three years after the accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film Rust.The 42-year-old was fatally shot, and director Joel Souza was injured, after a prop gun used by the actor went off.The Western film paid tribute to Hutchins when it premiered at the Camerimage Festival in Poland last week.This week, Baldwin, 66, spoke to industry magazine Variety as he was honoured with a lifetime award at the 42nd Torino Film Festival in Turin, Italy.He said the incident and its aftermath was “the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt…

Manawa Energy is likely to spend $75 million regionally and $230m nationally on building its proposed wind farm between Waiouru and Taihape. The country’s largest independent electricity generator and renewables developer puts the capital cost of the Huriwaka Wind Farm at between $800 million and $1 billion.Local spend is calculated after taking out the cost of imported components.The wind farm – on the Hihitahi Plateau, about 3km from Moawhango – is one of 149 projects selected by the Government for potential fast-tracking under the proposed Fast Track Approvals Bill.Previously known and consented as Central Wind, the project is to install…

Drake has begun legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify, alleging they conspired to falsely pump up the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us — a song that viciously attacked Drake amid a bitter feud between the two hip-hop superstars.The petition in a New York court on Monday by the rapper’s company Frozen Moments LLC demanded the preservation and divulging of information that might be evidence in a potential lawsuit against the streaming giant Spotify and UMG, which was the distributor for the record labels of both Drake and Lamar.In allegations that UMG called “offensive and untrue”, the…

A leak has caused a partial ceiling collapse in Dunedin Hospital where sterilisation equipment is stored.Health New Zealand said it was caused by an issue with fitting in a water pipeline in the above floor. This pipeline carried water to the steriliser units. Diversions were put in place within the hospital, and the leak repair was completed on Tuesday morning.The Government announced in September there would have to be changes to the planned redevelopment of Dunedin Hospital because it couldn’t be delivered within the current budget of just under $1.9 billion and the cost could possibly blow out to $3b.Health…

The rape trial of 51 defendants in the southern French city of Avignon has shocked France and sparked a national discussion on sexual violence. ADVERTISEMENTSome prosecutors have demanded the maximum sentence for Gisèle Pélicot’s ex-husband, who is accused of drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her while unconscious in their shared home in Provence in a trial that has shocked France.Prosecutor Laure Chabaud asked the panel of judges for 20 years — the maximum possible penalty for aggravated rape — for Pélicot’s now ex-husband. “Twenty years between the four walls of a prison,” Chabaud said. “It’s both…

The Māori electoral roll has grown by more than 3000 people – after organisers of the hīkoi mō te Tiriti promoted a switch from the general roll.Data from the Electoral Commission up to November 25 showed 2262 people changed from the general roll to the Māori roll – up from 59 in October. Just 28 people changed from Māori roll to general roll.There were also 862 new enrolments on the Māori roll – up from 29 the previous month. All up, there were 3096 more people on the Māori roll than at the start of the month.Victoria University senior lecturer…

If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone that marked the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of A Christmas Carol was kept in place and became a tourist attraction.Town Clerk Helen Ball said the town is discussing what should be done to fix or replace the stone that is “hugely popular” with residents and visitors. This time of year, organised tours of locations used in the movie…