Author: Press Room
Police are investigating after a bus driver was reportedly tasered “completely unprovoked” by a passenger on a bus in Auckland’s Kingsland this morning.The assault occurred after a passenger “became aggressive” while the 22N bus was stopped on New North Rd around 11.10am, police said.”The offender assaulted the driver with a small object before running away from the bus.”As a result, the driver suffered a small cut and has been treated.”Police are following lines of inquiry into this matter.”University student Abdelrahman Elattar had been commuting from Morningside to the University of Auckland when he noticed a person on board who appeared…
Google has warned it will be forced to stop promoting New Zealand news content and stop deals with local newsrooms if the Government goes ahead with the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill.The bill, which was introduced by the Labour government, would force tech giants to pay news organisations for their content.National initially did not support the bill but the coalition is pushing ahead with it.A statement posted today by Google’s New Zealand country director Caroline Rainsford said the company was “concerned” by the bill and did not believe it was the right approach to foster a sustainable future for news.”This…
A man has been arrested after an attempt to recover a stolen vehicle with a knife allegedly turned into a “violent assault” in West Auckland yesterday.Police were called after a woman was assaulted during a disorder incident on Portage Rd in New Lynn around 4.30pm on Thursday.Waitematā CIB detective senior sergeant Adam Lough said a woman was inside a vehicle at the time of the alleged assault.”It appears the male offender was attempting to recover a stolen vehicle at the time,” he said.”He has gone about this the wrong way, instead committing an offence by carrying this knife and inflicting…
Critics of the Government’s “bizarre” approach to its smokefree targets are baffled it proceeded with a tax cut for heated tobacco products based on what they say is flimsy advice from the minister in charge.It comes as Associate Health Minister Casey Costello yesterday released documents she says relate to the “independent advice” she sought on the matter, after Treasury advice warned the tax break was inadvisable.The documents were: A Decision-Theoretic Public Health Framework for Heated Tobacco and Nicotine Vaping Products – October 18, 2022Patterns of Smoking and Snus Use in Sweden: Implications for Public Health – November 9, 2016What Is…
Dozens of odour complaints have been made to council regulators in the Hutt Valley in the past fortnight over what locals call the ‘Seaview stench’.The smell coming from the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant appears to have peaked, after its dryer facility stopped working last month.”The stench that was there yesterday is completely unacceptable,” said Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry.The fault with the dryer has created a backlog of wet sludge, increasing the stink wafting from the plant.Chris Man from nearby Café 36 said it’s the worst he’s smelt in five years of owning the shop.”I’ve been to a pig farm.…
Plant-based foods can continue to be sold and promoted using terms traditionally associated with meat, as long as their composition is clearly labelled and does not mislead consumers, the EU Court of Justice ruled. ADVERTISEMENTEU member states cannot stop food manufacturers giving vegetarian foods labels traditionally associated with meat in order to appeal to consumers, provided they do explain clearly what is actually inside the products, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Friday. Common meat-related terms such as steak, sausage, escalope and burger are fair game for marketing vegetarian fare, so long as a country has not established a specific…
Online safety watchdog Netsafe is calling on the Government to follow Australia’s lead and regulate the use of online dating apps. Australia’s online dating code has been updated in an effort to identify and stop harassment and better protect users.One woman who has used dating apps in the past told 1News she knows “lots of women” who get “really cruel” messages about their appearance.Another app user said they’ve receive “a lot of strange messages which – to some extent, I suppose – could be considered harassment”. They added that some of this behaviour continues offline.”Someone who I’d matched with a…
Two Ukrainian cities woke up on Friday to sweep away the destruction caused by recent Russian attacks. ADVERTISEMENTRussian attacks wounded one person and destroyed civilian infrastructure in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka on Thursday, according to the local military administration.A resident said they woke up to the sound of explosions, adding, “I’m very scared the Russians will come here.”A day after the assault, residents attempted to rebuild the town, located in the industrial Donetsk region, now riddled with broken glass windows and roofing. The attack left a multi-storey building and two cars destroyed.Local authorities urged residents to leave the…
Detective turned businessman Kevin Hickman made an immense impact with his passion, charitable work, and his hobby, horse racing. A West Coaster, Christchurch-based Hickman was a long-serving policeman before co-founding retirement village operator Ryman Healthcare. Its advertising claim, that it had to be good enough for Ryman’s own mum, struck a chord and the firm grew to be listed on the New Zealand stock exchange and eventually become the country’s largest retirement village operator. Hickman was by now making plenty of money, much of which he was giving away. He was made an Officer of the Order of Merit in…
History will be made in Invercargill tomorrow when veteran lock Josh Bekhuis runs out for Southland in their final match of the season.The Southland Stag mainstay will become their most capped player with 144 games.”I’m always getting grief from the boys for being old, but that’s sort of what’s been driving me,” the 38-year-old said.It’s been a record-breaking season for Bekhuis. A few weeks ago he became the National Provincial Championship’s most capped player, and this weekend he’ll have Rugby Southland’s all-time record.”He never dies, he just won’t ever go down,” Southland prop Morgy Mitchell said.Bekhuis has been running out…