Author: Press Room
Mateusz Morawiecki, who led Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) government, was charged with “abuse of power and failure to perform official duties,” which could lead to up to three years in prison. ADVERTISEMENTFormer Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is facing serious charges and potential prison time, after Polish prosecutors charged him over his involvement in attempting to organise presidential elections by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current deputy leader of the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party has denied that this was done in bad faith and is accusing the current government of bringing him to court for political reasons.In…
Calls for greater clarity have emerged about what new citizens arrest law reforms would look like in practice, including what constitutes “reasonable force” to detain offenders.The Government announced yesterday it would give retailers and members of the public more power to detain shoplifters under legislative reforms.Under existing laws, ordinary people could detain someone they found committing a Crimes Act offence at night between 9pm and 6am. The provision also applied to crimes where the maximum punishment was at least three years imprisonment.The recommended changes included:Amending the Crimes Act so that citizens can intervene to stop any Crimes Act offence at…
The daughter of a woman injured by falling masonry on Auckland’s Queen St says she’s yet to get answers from the council two weeks on.A small piece of concrete fell from 99 Queen St mid-morning on February 11, breaking through a glass canopy and injuring a pedestrian underneath.The victim’s daughter, Vicki, told RNZ her mother suffered a head injury that required stitches and an internal fracture on her ribs, as well as bruising down her side and some memory loss.Vicki said the masonry falling onto the canopy sounded like a bomb.”I was totally shocked,” she said.”I thought it was a…
A High Court judgement has put a spotlight on the responsibilities of senior company executives. It ruled that the chief financial officer (CFO) of the collapsed CBL Insurance Group (CBLC), Carden Mulholland, was an accessory to the breaking of information disclosure rules. The case was brought by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) against Mulholland, the former managing director Peter Harris, and some directors of the failed group. All but Mulholland settled out of court. The Court ruled that Mulholland had the knowledge and participated in decision making, which resulted in information about the group’s financial position not being disclosed to investors quickly…
A number of roads and suburbs across Auckland will soon see speed limits go back up with a new map setting out for residents which areas are affected.The changes align with the Government’s new land transport rule regarding speed limits. The rule requires NZTA and local councils to restore all speed limits lowered since January 2020 on several categories of roads to their previous limits by the beginning of July this year.Auckland Transport (AT) has now released an interactive map of the city, showing which roads will have their speed limits go back up.The reversals include speed limits going from…
In an interview with Euronews, Jean-Claude Juncker reflected on Donald Trump’s lack of understanding of the EU, the need to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, and his regret that the EU had not been more vocal with China during his tenure. ADVERTISEMENTToday, Radio Schuman features an exclusive interview with former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, in which he criticised US President Donald Trump’s affinity for Russia and his lack of understanding of the EU.In the interview with Euronews’ Shona Murray Juncker addressed geopolitical tensions around the Trump presidency and the role Europe should play in providing security guarantees to Ukraine.He…
One of the greatest American actors of the 20th century was voted “least likely to succeed” by his first theatre school, wasn’t a star until he was 40 and possessed a face he once described as “your everyday mineworker”.Gene Hackman, a 1.87m (6-foot-2) ex-Marine from Danville, Illinois, and a self-described “big lummox kind of person”, was as hard to define an actor as he was an unlikely star. “Everyman” was the most common label for Hackman, but even that seems to fall short for a performer capable of such volcanic intensity, such danger.”He’s one of the ones who are willing…
A leader of the landmark iwi reclamation of Pākaitore in Whanganui says a lot has changed in the 30 years since Whanganui Māori made their stand.Ken Mair says the city’s leaders and residents are more aware of historical events and actions that harmed hapū and iwi.”One of the most important things has been greater comprehension, awareness and insight about the issues we tried to articulate at Pākaitore – and continue to highlight and try to find a way through – including the impact of colonisation and the theft of our lands.”On February 28, 1995, a group of people led by…
False claims about vaccines, specifically COVID vaccines, continue to do the rounds online. ADVERTISEMENTA false claim is circulating online that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has acknowledged that mRNA vaccines have not been formally approved and that millions have therefore been vaccinated without clear guidelines.Social posts refer to an article by a Swiss website called Uncut-News, which says that the EMA published a paper in January saying “there is no guideline which reflects the quality requirements for regulators and industry on mRNA containing vaccines”.Uncut-News says that while the paper focuses specifically on veterinary vaccines, this is still a worry for…
South Korean police said Friday they are summoning a Japanese woman for questioning over allegedly kissing Jin, a member of the K-pop supergroup BTS, without consent during a free hug event last year.A police officer who answered the phone at Seoul’s Songpa police station said it requested the woman to appear for questioning over an allegation of sexual harassment. The police station refused to disclose her identity, citing privacy.The station said it had launched an investigation after receiving an online complaint and refused to provide further details because an investigation was under way.Media reports said that South Korean police were…