Author: Press Room
There is no need yet to designate a replacement for Ursula von der Leyen as she battles a severe case of pneumonia, her spokesperson has said. ADVERTISEMENTUrsula von der Leyen will keep performing her regular duties as president of the European Commission and will not yet delegate any tasks to a replacement while she battles a severe case of pneumonia. The diagnosis has prevented von der Leyen’s return to Brussels after the winter break and prompted the cancellation of all her external appointments, including the scheduled visit of the entire College of Commissioner to Gdańsk to mark the beginning of…
As foodbanks struggle to stay afloat, a Lower Hutt community has turned to growing its own kai to feed whānau in need.Seeds of Hope, a programme run by Oasis Church in Naenae and funded by local and central government, has built more than 200 garden boxes in backyards from Upper Hutt to Wainuiomata.They feed about 800 whānau.Jenny Frank’s lawn has six garden beds, which grow kai year round. When RNZ visited in December, the silverbeet and lettuces were thriving, tomatoes were on their way, and pumpkins were planted ready for next winter.A small portion of the produce feeds the whānau…
The new year has started with some good news for supermarket shoppers.Warm weather has provided favourable growing conditions for many parts of the country, and suppliers and shops say that means extra fruit and veg available on supermarket shelves.A spokesperson for Woolworths said the seasons were running “a couple of weeks earlier than normal”.”This is excellent news for our customers as we’ll have plenty of summer fruit and vegetables available for the next couple of months.”Stone fruit – nectarines, peaches, apricots and plums – is in full swing and eating really well. Watermelon is also building in supply and will…
Recurring vandalism at the Taramea Bay toilets in Riverton/Aparima has prompted Southland District Council to send a message to those responsible.In a post to Facebook, the council said: “I hope next time you are in desperate need of a public toilet, there isn’t a [scrap] of toilet paper to wipe your butt.”It mentioned the “disgusting mess” at the toilets was discovered by a cleaner this morning, and it was the second time it had happened in recent weeks.”To see the community’s newest facilities treated like this by some brainless numpty (or numpties if plural is appropriate) is incredibly disappointing.”Next time,…
The scrub fire causing delays near Te Puna Stream in Whakamārama has been extinguished, FENZ says.According to Google Maps, traffic continued moving slowly in the area on State Highway 2 between Tauranga and Katikati.In an update to Facebook at 5pm, NZTA Waka Kotahi said the road was still under stop/go traffic management.Firefighters were first called to the vegetation blaze at about 1.50pm with warnings for drivers to delay their travel through the area. “Motorists are advised to take an alternate route and avoid the area,” police said earlier.Travel on State Highway 2 and other nearby roads remained disrupted.Crews from five…
Wednesday’s shooting came after a bar brawl and saw a 45-year-old man go home to get his gun before returning to the bar and opening fire. ADVERTISEMENTThousands of people have protested in Montenegro to demand the resignations of top security officials after 12 people were killed in a mass shooting on New Year’s Day.Chanting “Resignations” and “Killers”, protesters staged dual rallies in the capital Podgorica and in the central town of Cetinje where the shooting happened.Outside the Interior Ministry building in Podgorica, people demanded that Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović and Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defenxe Aleksa Bečić step…
A three-year-old died after being struck by a vehicle in a driveway at a property in Gore on New Year’s Day.Emergency services were called to the residential address at around 6.30pm on January 1.The child died in Gore Hospital a short time later.”Our thoughts are with the child’s family at this sad time,” police said.”Following considerable work, including with the ESR at the scene, police investigators are treating the death as not suspicious at this time.”The investigations team will continue to make enquiries on behalf of the Coroner.”On Christmas Day another child died after being struck by a vehicle in…
A 37-year-old man has been remanded in custody after he arrived at the Manukau Police Station at around 1am with a deceased child in a vehicle.The man entered no plea in the Manukau District Court today where he was charged with murder. He has been granted interim name suppression.The court also suppressed all details of the victim’s identity.The court today heard the man had required hospital treatment for wounds prior to his appearance in court.Family of the accused man were also in attendance and were “very upset to see him appearing in the court”, 1News reporter Simon Mercep said.A man…
Two wildly audacious films — Brady Corbet’s 215-minute postwar epic The Brutalist and Jacques Audiard’s Spanish language, genre-shifting trans musical Emilia Perez — have won top honours at the Golden Globes.The 82nd Globes, which are still finding their footing after years of scandal and makeover, scattered awards around to a number of films. But the awards group put its strongest support behind a pair of movies that sought to be unlike anything else.The Brutalist was crowned best film, drama, putting one of 2024’s most ambitious films on course to be a major contender at the Academy Awards. The film, shot…
A five-month-old baby is recovering in hospital after sustaining serious head injuries in an incident being investigated by Northland police.The infant was initially “presented at Dargaville Hospital with serious head injuries” on December 28, according to Whangārei Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer.He said: “Police are continuing to make inquiries into the circumstances of how the baby came to be injured.”The baby was flown to Whangārei Hospital for treatment and later taken to Auckland’s Starship Hospital, “where they are making a good recovery”, Pilmer said. Police have released few details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.