Author: Press Room

Serbia’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia was one of the main stumbling blocks impeding the country from moving to the next stage of accession talks. ADVERTISEMENTHungary’s pitch to advance accession talks with Serbia to the next stage was rejected by a sizable group of European Union countries, several diplomats told Euronews, making it impossible to secure the necessary unanimity.The debate played out on Monday during a closed-door meeting of ambassadors.Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Sweden were among those who opposed the move, pointing the finger at Belgrade’s patchy track record on fundamental rights, strained relations…

A new police base for the Auckland CBD has been announced, with plans to open a public counter there by mid-2025. In a statement today, Police said it had signed a lease agreement for 210 Federal Street and would gradually take full occupancy from January 2025. Police already occupy two of the building’s four floors. The base will be located near Aotea Square and Te Waihorotiu railway station, and means officers will easily be able to deploy across the central city. Once the new base is ready in mid-2025, a public counter will open to allow people access to police…

Germany’s centre-left Social Democracts have chosen to officially nominate current Chancellor Olaf Scholz as their party’s candidate despite his low approval ratings. ADVERTISEMENTOlaf Scholz has been officially nominated by his Social Democratic Party (SPD) as its candidate for German chancellor in snap elections set for 23 February. The incumbent chancellor’s nomination comes after weeks of tense discussions within the centre-left party over whether he was the right person for the job. Some members of his party rallied around Defence Minister Boris Pistorius — who enjoys higher approval ratings — as a replacement for Scholz. On Thursday, Pistorius said he was not “available”…

Further job cuts are looming at Health NZ Te Whatu Ora, with staff working in its IT department receiving news on Monday that their jobs could soon be gone.Some staff in the Data and Digital team received an email from integration and delivery director Rogan Clarke – which has been screenshot and sent to RNZ – saying their jobs may be lost in a proposed restructure.”Following our recent engagement sessions, we have now developed a proposal for Data and Digital,” Clarke wrote.”I need to let you know that your position could be significantly affected, and potentially disestablished, by this proposal.”No…

A pedestrian has been left with critical injuries after a crash near Nelson earlier this afternoon. Emergency services were called to Moutere Highway, between Sunrise Valley Road and Supplejack Valley Road, at around 4pm. “Police are at the scene of a collision between a pedestrian and car, which has closed Moutere Highway this afternoon,” a spokesperson said.St John said one person was airlifted to Nelson Hospital in a critical condition. “Initial indications suggest the pedestrian has critical injuries,” police said. The Moutere Highway was closed after the crash but has since reopened.

Olivia Podmore was never referred for a detailed psychological assessment after she scored poorly on a mood test that indicated she found life meaningless and did not believe in her own self-worth.Content warning: This story discusses mental health and suicide. A list of helplines is available at the bottom of the page.The elite cyclist was 24 when she died by suspected suicide in August 2021, the day after the end of the Tokyo Olympics, which she was not selected for.Podmore’s scores were the worst seen by a health practitioner and he raised concerns with another health practitioner Podmore was seeing.Neither…

British ex-soldier James Scott Rhys Anderson was reportedly captured by Russian troops in Kursk. If confirmed, his capture would represent the first known case of a Western national seized on Russian territory. ADVERTISEMENTA British former soldier has reportedly been captured by Russian forces as he fought alongside Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region, Russian state media claimed on Monday. The man was identified as James Scott Rhys Anderson, a former signalman in the British army for four years before joining the International Legion of Ukraine as a volunteer fighter. In a widely circulated Telegram video allegedly showing Anderson, a man dressed…

A lack of planes and a mixed travel market are set to reduce Air New Zealand’s half-year result.In a trading update ahead of an investor day presentation, the airline said it continued to be affected by a range of factors identified in the past.It forecast six-month pre-tax earnings to the end of December between $120 million to $160m, compared to $186m the year before.”Aircraft availability issues resulting from global engine maintenance delays have seen up to six Airbus neo aircraft and up to four Boeing 787 aircraft out of service across the first half of this financial year,” the airline…

The beef over a proposed McDonald’s in Wānaka has seen the fast food chain make its case during the first day of a resource consent hearing.A team from the global multinational descended on the tourist hotspot earlier today to give their evidence for the proposed restaurant below Mt Iron on State Highway 6.The topic has been contentious for the South Island town, since McDonald’s confirmed plans last year. In recent weeks, there have been signs attached to trailers that have popped up near the proposed site – both for and against the development.More than 6000 people have also signed an…

‘Ohio skibidi’, ‘gyat’, ‘yapaholic’ — Gen Alpha, the first generation to grow up in an online world, is adding fast-moving and colourful slang to the lexicon.Language has always changed over time, but the internet has created layers of slang that can feel impossible to keep up with, Dr Howard Manns linguistics lecturer at Monash University tells RNZ’s Nine to Noon.”A lot of these slang words that people of our age or older people might think are hip and new, like no cap, meaning it’s the truth, or lit, meaning something great, fam, referring to your friends, or slay, meaning that’s…