Author: Press Room
Costs of specialists court reports have gone up by over 60% in the past five years, with one lawyer saying she was quoted nearly $16,000 for a single report – four times the usual amount. A lack of psychiatrists means private providers are being called upon, in some cases costing thousands of dollars more and often paid for by the taxpayer.Since 2020, costs for specialists reports, including those for mental health, has jumped from $14.7 million to $23.7 million this year.It’s believed a lot of the cost is funded by legal aid, which is funded by taxpayers. The Government said…
An investigation is underway after workers at an Auckland business discovered 36kg of cocaine – worth around $12.6 million – stashed inside a container.Detective Senior Sergeant Jason Hunt said staff working at the Auckland premises were unloading legitimate goods shipped from Brazil when the cocaine was discovered.”It was in the bags on top of the legitimate product in the container.”Police were then contacted, and detectives from the National Organised Crime Group seized the drugs, valued at around $12.6 million.The container was shipped from Brazil and contained legitimate product, police said. (Source: New Zealand Police)Hunt said it was a prime example…
Key diary dates Tuesday 4 November: Euronews’ Enlargement Summit European Commission presents 2025 Enlargement package Meeting of Environment ministers Wednesday 5 November: The Budget Committee will exchange views with Commissioner Piotr Serafin on the EU’s next long-term budget, the Interinstitutional Agreement, and the Own Resources Decision. In spotlight On Tuesday, the European Commission will present the 2025 enlargement package, an annual report assessing the progress made by candidate countries to join the EU candidates to the European Union. This year, the package will include the “pre-enlargement policy review” on the reforms that established member states should adopt to accommodate the…
Ten crews of firefighters are tackling a large house fire in the Wellington suburb of Island Bay this evening.Fire and Emergency NZ crews were called to the scene on High St at 6.50pm.”Conditions are very windy, and firefighters are working on the Esplanade as well as on High St,” a Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1News. “People are asked to stay well away from the area. Residents affected by smoke should close doors and windows to avoid exposure.”The cause of the fire has not been established but it is reported to have begun in a garage and spread to a…
By Euronews Published on 03/11/2025 – 13:39 GMT+1 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that he will take part in Euronews’ unprecedented European Enlargement Summit on 4 November in Brussels, to debate Europe’s strategic enlargement process, its challenges and benefits, and the complex paths ahead. A unique European political event, the Euronews summit will, for the first time, bring together leaders of both the EU and a number of candidate countries in a groundbreaking debate on Europe’s enlargement process towards the East, at a crucial moment for the European Union and the candidate states, from Ukraine and Moldova to the Western…
It might still be too early for some, but with Halloween over, Christmas is well and truly on the way, and a wave of misinformation about the festive season is also on its way. A picture going around online and shared on social media in multiple European languages, allegedly shows a small German Christmas market surrounded by police, vehicles and fences. The captions shared with the photo lament that Christmas markets in Europe now have to be so heavily protected from terrorist attacks, with some baselessly blaming immigration or “diversity”. However, the image has clearly been AI-generated: zooming into people’s…
Thirty-one firearms have been seized and six firearms licence holders suspended following an investigation into illegal hunting in North Canterbury.A network of firearms licence holders allegedly gave firearms to unlicensed hunters and then attempted to cover their tracks with further offending, police said.The operation, by The National Organised Crime Group (NCOG) supported by the Firearms Safety Authority, was one of several investigations conducted in a coordinated crackdown by New Zealand and Australian police last month.The investigation began after shots were fired near a house in rural Cheviot in April, waking the occupants.NOCG Detective Inspector Albie Alexander said two men without…
The 2026 Winter Olympics are now fewer than 100 days away, and the event has already sold around 850,000 tickets and is expected to draw up to two million visitors. Beyond local enthusiasm, with seven of 10 Italians interested, the Games, taking place from 6 to 22 February 2026, are proving especially popular among Americans,according to a study carried out by Ipsos for VISA. The 2025 Winter Olympics will be the first post-pandemic Winter Games. Back in 2022, fewer than 100,000 spectators attended the edition hosted in China. An analysis of early ticket sales shows that US citizens account for…
Wesley College has been ordered by the Ministry of Education to close its boarding hostels by this Friday, bringing forward a previously announced end-of-term deadline following “further serious incidents”.The school announced two weeks ago it would close its boarding hostels by the end of Term 4, with board chairperson Jan Tasker saying it was now undertaking a full review and would only reopen when it could guarantee “the highest standards of safety, care, and student wellbeing”.But in a post on the school’s Facebook page on Monday, principal Brian Evans said the Ministry had notified the school it would impose a…
By Euronews Published on 03/11/2025 – 10:19 GMT+1 •Updated 10:30 All is set on the eve of Euronews’ Enlargement Summit, the first-of-its-kind televised live event bringing together EU and candidate country leaders for groundbreaking conversations on the future of European integration. The unprecedented summit, taking place on Tuesday, 4 November in Brussels, will mark a defining moment for EU enlargement policy in the heart of Europe, as the continent’s political heavyweights gather to discuss the 27-member bloc’s expansion towards the east and southeast. European Council President António Costa has confirmed his participation, joining a remarkable assembly of leaders set to define…