Author: Press Room

A locomotive engineer experiencing brain fog in the wake of a Covid-19 infection likely played a role in a KiwiRail coal train’s near miss with another train in the South Island early last year, an investigation has found.The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report concluded the locomotive engineer was likely to be cognitively impaired when he ran a stop signal and narrowly avoided a collision with a train coming in the opposite direction near Arthur’s Pass.The loaded coal train bound for Lyttelton departed Arthur’s Pass on February 27, 2024, with the locomotive engineer taking over Train 850 at the pass…

Wellington City Council’s crown observer is surprised the organisation “hasn’t totally wilted under the pressure” of long-term plan changes, according to a new report.In October, former local government minister Simeon Brown decided to appoint a crown observer after the council chose to rewrite its long term plan.On November 13, former chief executive of Tasman District Council and Gisborne District Council Lindsay McKenzie started in the role.A report written by McKenzie has been posted on social media and verified by RNZ.It said a combination of issues, such as changing the long term plan and the resignation of the council’s chief executive…

“The United States will defend its interests, and Europe will defend its own interests – that is part of international relations,” António Costa, the president of the European Council, told Euronews in an exclusive wide-ranging interview. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union should engage with the new administration of Donald Trump in a “normal, calm manner, without anxiety,” António Costa, the president of the European Council, told Euronews in a sitdown interview.”Naturally, just as the United States wants to defend its interests, it is up to the European Union to defend the interests of its companies, its citizens, our union,” he said.”We remain…

Police have launched a homicide investigation into the death of a motorcyclist in Otaika in Northland.On January 29, a man’s body was discovered in a creek after 5am adjacent to Otaika Valley Road after on State Highway 15. His motorcycle was found parked nearby.Police now believed the man was killed between 7pm and 11pm on Thursday, January 28, in a layby opposite to the Otaika Valley Scenic Reserve.A post-mortem examination is currently ongoing, Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said.”Formal identification procedures have not yet been completed, but we anticipate releasing further details about the victim once this process is…

According to German MEP Andreas Schwab, the digital EU regulation should apply to cloud and AI services to prevent their providers from dominating the market before it’s too late. ADVERTISEMENTBig tech’s cloud and AI services urgently need to be regulated by the EU’s landmark platform regulation the Digital Markets Act, otherwise American and Chinese competitors will dominate the market, German European People’s Party MEP Andreas Schwab said at an event in Brussels on Wednesday.“We need a common European strategy on how to face the digital strength” of China and the US, the lawmaker said, adding: “We want a strong European commitment of…

Marianne Faithfull, the British pop star, muse, libertine and old soul who inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones’ greatest songs and endured as a torch singer and survivor of the lifestyle she once embodied, has died. She was 78.Faithfull died in London, her music promotion company Republic Media said.“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed.”Faithfull was a celebrity before turning…

Several vehicles have been impounded and fines have been issued to drivers at an Auckland beach where the speed limit was recently lowered.Karioitahi Beach, a black sand beach in the southwest of the Auckland region, has a 20km/h speed limit — introduced before Christmas.Classified as a public road, the speed limit used to be 60km/h. It was one of only two beaches in the region where driving was allowed.Police conducted Operation Beaches at Karioitahi and Muriwai at the beginning of summer.Counties Manukau South area prevention manager Matt Hoyes said a number of vehicles were impounded at Karioitahi, including a pink-stickered…

Even if the joint parliamentary committee finds a compromise, there is no guarantee the budget bill will be adopted by the lower house next week. ADVERTISEMENTSeven MPs and seven senators have met behind closed doors on Thursday in Paris to negotiate the final draft of France’s 2025 budget plan. But even if they succeed, the plan’s adoption by Parliament cannot be taken for granted. The outcome of the talks promises to be decisive for the future of newly appointed Prime Minister François Bayrou and his government. Who is part of the negotiations and what is at stake?The parliamentary committee has…

A pair of dogs who went missing after a wasp attack in Waikato have been reunited with their owner — after being found by an “eagle-eyed” waka ama crew.The two dogs from Huntly were walking with their owner alongside the Waikato River when they were set upon by wasps.Panicked, the animals bolted to escape the swarm but became stranded on a sand bank.Waahi Waka, a local waka ama group, spotted the dogs on the river and ferried them to safety in their boats.They contacted animal control, which called for vet assistance to treat the dogs for wasp stings.Because they were…

Dominique Pelicot, who was jailed in December for repeatedly drugging and raping his then-wife Gisèle, is a suspect in other cases of rape and murder. ADVERTISEMENTDominique Pélicot, the convicted French rapist who drugged his then-wife, Gisèle, so that other men could rape her, was questioned on Thursday about other cases of rape and murder in which he is a suspect, according to his lawyer. The 72-year-old is serving a 20-year prison sentence after he was found guilty in December for repeatedly drugging and raping his now ex-wife. Pélicot’s lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, said he now faces renewed questioning by an investigating…