Author: Press Room

The family of Carmen Walker, who died following complications during a cancer procedure, are shocked and disappointed with a coroner’s finding that her death was not the result of blood being drained out of her body by mistake.Walker’s sons Craig and Lance told RNZ they were bewildered by the finding, which they had hoped would provide answers for which they had waited for 14 years.Together with plastic surgeon Dr Adam Greenbaum, who was observing the procedure in August 2010, the brothers believed the blood loss was human error and preventable.Lance Walker said all he wanted was the truth of what…

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Two people have been injured and one person is missing after a car crashed into the Waioeka River in Bay of Plenty.Emergency services were alerted at about 10.20am a single vehicle had gone down a bank and entered the river near Ōpōtiki between Waioeka Pa and Waiata roads.Police said two people have been transported to Whakatāne Hospital with moderate injuries.”One person is currently unaccounted for,” police said.”Search and rescue teams are searching in the area in an effort to locate the person.””Anyone downstream of the Historic Tauranga Bridge should call 111 if they have information that may assist Police.”State Highway…

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A second man has been arrested in relation to the murder of Hawke’s Bay teenager Ariki Rigby.The body of Rigby, 18, was found in a burnt-out car in Havelock North in September 2022.A 29-year-old Havelock North man has today been charged with being a party to arson, police said.He is due to appear in Hastings District Court tomorrow. Police confirmed they will oppose his bail.The arrest today follows the earlier arrest of a 32-year-old man in Auckland, which took place in September.This man, charged with murder, has been remanded in custody and is set to appear in Napier High Court…

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Libya has been in political turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. ADVERTISEMENTThe International Criminal Court has unsealed arrest warrants for six men allegedly linked to a Libyan militia blamed for multiple killings in a strategically important western town where mass graves were discovered in 2020.Libya has been in political turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.Since then, Libya has been split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by militias and foreign governments.ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said his investigation has gathered evidence “indicating…

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In his early 20s, Henrique Beirao was at a gay bar in Wellington when a friend suddenly walked in wearing full drag with five other drag queens.“Hello, darling. You know me as a boy but not as a girl!” his friend said to him.That was the moment, Henrique says, when he caught “drag-itis” and eventually Rhubarb Rouge was born.“Rhubarb Rouge has the glamour of Audrey Hepburn, the talent of Madonna, and the body shape and comedic talent of Urzila Carlson,” he says.The 37-year-old is now the creator, producer and artistic director of the country’s largest drag show in a town…

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New Zealand Rugby chairwoman Dame Patsy Reddy will not to seek re-appointment to the board, after an independent review of the organisation’s governance structures was not implemented.Earlier this year, Dame Patsy threatened to resign from the role if the review’s recommendations were not fully adopted.Ultimately the changes implemented were watered down and Dame Patsy will step down as chair at the end of the year.NZR and rugby stakeholders are currently implementing a new governance framework and process for appointing the NZR Board, which was approved at a Special General Meeting in May 2024.While Dame Patsy’s decision not to stand for…

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Rescue teams in the south said several people were missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist with search and rescue operations as roads were closed and houses left without electricity. ADVERTISEMENTBosnia’s government has declared a state of emergency after at least 16 people were killed in flooding and landslides caused by a severe rainstorm.The flooding has affected several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the country, with surging waters rushing into people’s homes as they were sleeping.Speaking at an emergency press conference in the capital Sarajevo, Deputy Prime Minister Vojin Mijatović said a crisis…

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One person has died following a single-vehicle crash in Waiomio, in the Far North, this afternoon. Police say they were called to the scene on Waiomio Rd, near the intersection with State Highway 1, just after 1pm.”The sole occupant suffered critical injuries in the crash,” police said.Despite medical assistance, he died at the scene.The serious crash unit is at the scene, with an investigation set to begin. There are no road closures in place at this stage.

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Thirteen New Zealanders have left Lebanon on charter and commercial flights overnight.It follows a rapidly spiralling situation, as Israel escalates its ground operation in southern Lebanon and airstrikes in the capital, Beirut.”We are in contact with those who remain and, at this stage, almost all of them want to stay in Lebanon,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) told 1News. It’s understood nearly 40 others remain in the country.”Our advice to New Zealanders has not changed – do not travel to Lebanon, Israel or Iran. If you are there, leave now.”New Zealanders have been advised…

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A man is due to appear in court after an explosive device detonated near a police officer while the Defence Force was securing another IED in Feilding. Police were called to a home on Montagu St on Wednesday after receiving a tip-off that a person was in possession of a prohibited military-style semi-automatic firearm. The firearm was seized, and police returned the following morning to arrest a person of interest.The person was “swiftly arrested”, police carrying out a further search of the property discovered an improvised explosive device (IED).The New Zealand Defence Force’s Ordnance Disposal squadron were called while officers…

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