Author: Press Room

First-time nominees Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper, the hip-hop pioneers Outkast, the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden.Salt-N-Pepa, the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status, and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award. The late record producer Thom Bell, pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award.The late Cocker, who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his…

Customs have seized a combined total of more than 90 kilograms of methamphetamine found in abandoned bags on two inbound flights in under 12 hours at Auckland International Airport over the weekend.The first intercept occurred after a flight from Malaysia which landed around midnight on April 26.Customs officers identified two bags containing 50.2 kilograms of methamphetamine.”The bags contained four smaller duffle bags, each with individually wrapped packages of methamphetamine,” a statement from Customs said.40.5 kilograms was uncovered in two backpacks abandoned on a flight from Los Angeles. (Source: NZ Customs)The second intercept was off a flight from Los Angeles early…

The Ministry for Primary Industries has lifted all movement controls from an Otago poultry farm after an outbreak of avian influenza last year. The H7N6 strain of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was discovered at Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm, near Moeraki in early December and resulted in a shutdown of the farm and culling of about 160,000 birds. “While there is still work to be done, the lifting of movement controls is a significant milestone in the response and means that Mainland Poultry can begin the process of returning to business,” MPI chief veterinary officer Dr Mary Van Andel said. “We’re…

Strict movement controls have been lifted from an Otago poultry farm following the eradication of a pathogenic strain of avian influenza in chickens at the premises. The highly pathogenic bird flu strain H7N6 was detected in poultry at Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm in early December, prompting restrictions to be put in place and the culling of tens of thousands of chickens in the weeks following. Minsitry for Primary Industries (MPI) moved swiftly to implement strict movement controls on the property to prevent goods or anything else that might be carrying the virus leaving the property. Chickens on the farm were…

Dunedin-based cancer diagnostic firm Pacific Edge has been dealt a severe financial blow after its key testing procedure was excluded from coverage by the United States Medicare federal health insurance scheme. The firm has been battling for more than a year to overturn a draft decision by a regional manager of the Medicare scheme to cease paying for the bladder cancer tests. However, the new coverage regime has now come into force and excluded Pacific Edge’s test, which accounted for 60 percent of the company’s income. “We are obviously disappointed we have been unable to maintain coverage of our tests in the…

Credit card company Visa is calling for a ban on the surcharge fee some merchants charge card-paying consumers at the point of sale.The Commerce Commission was undertaking a review of card charges, and considering cutting the regulated interchange fee card companies can charge banks by as much as 75%, for example.Card interchange fees were in turn passed on by banks to merchants at whatever rate the merchant can negotiate, meaning that some pay much more than others.Visa country manager Anthony Watson said the focus should not be on its interchange fees, which were basically the same rate as those charged…

A coronial inquest will examine how a convicted rapist was released on parole and managed in the community before brutally murdering a woman in her Christchurch home just 10 weeks after he was let out of prison.Colombian national Juliana Bonilla-Herrera, 37, was attacked and stabbed to death in her Addington flat by Joseph James Brider in January 2022 after he was paroled to the flat next door.She did not know about his criminal history of sexual violence.Brider was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 23 years and preventive detention in February 2023, meaning he would…

Investigations are underway after four people were seen running from the area after a fire at a funeral home in Auckland’s Māngere Bridge overnight. Emergency services were called after a small fire broke out at the Just Funerals premises on Kirkbride Rd shortly before midnight. Counties Manukau CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward said four people were seen running from the area following the fire. Firefighters at the scene of a funeral home in Auckland’s Māngere. (Source: 1News)”Inquiries are now underway to identify and locate them,” he said. Scene guards remain in place while a scene examination was carried out…

ADVERTISEMENTNew Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated on Sunday that US comments regarding the mineral-rich Arctic island had been disrespectful, emphasising that Greenland “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”His comments came after a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at her official residence on Sunday, on the second day of a three-day official visit.Nielsen’s remarks were in response to US President Donald Trump’s repeated state interest in taking control of the strategically important territory.During the press conference, Nielsen said “the talk from the United States have not been respectful.”He continued,…

Melissa Hannan wants to break down some barriers and help women become more confident dealing with what goes on under the hood. The Christchurch woman and fulltime mechanic hosted “Girls and Gasoline” sessions in Dunedin on Friday and Saturday. Ms Hannon, who has been a mechanic for 19 years, said she still felt like “a bit of an outlier” in her position. “It’s still a very small industry for a woman to be into a man’s trade, but it’s accepted more around the country to be a woman in this trade.” The course takes women through all the basic skills,…