Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTTwo Belgian teenagers who were found with thousands of ants valued at more than €8,000 and allegedly destined for European and Asian markets will be sentenced in two weeks, a Kenyan magistrate has said.Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya’s main airport, said she would not rush the case but would take time to review environmental impact and psychological reports filed in court before passing sentence on 7 May.Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on 5 April with 5,000 ants at a guest house.They were charged on 15 April with violating wildlife conservation…

ADVERTISEMENTIn Europe, the number of irregular migrants is estimated to be between 2.6 million and 3.2 million. New research shows that access to primary health care for irregular migrants is generally preferred over providing low-income support. The PRIME study, undertaken by researchers at the European University Institute in Italy and the University of Uppsala in Sweden, collected the answers of 20,000 people across Austria, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK.Respondents in the UK were found to have more negative views than in the other four countries across a number of policy areas.  Those surveyed in the UK were also the least…

Several staff members at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison were assaulted in two violent incidents over the weekend, in what’s been called a “nasty and calculated” attack. A prisoner allegedly hit a staff member with a sandwich press and threw hot water at three others in one attack, according to Corrections. Another staff member was punched in the face in a second unrelated incident. The alleged attacks have raised fresh concerns about prison staffing levels.Corrections Association industrial officer Alan Whitley said the hot water used in the incident had sugar dissolved in it, burning staff further.”It was a fairly nasty and…

ADVERTISEMENTElvira Azimova, Chair of Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court, said her visit was part of the “follow-up” to the recent EU-Central Asia Summit, which brought together top officials from both regions. “My schedule includes meetings with practically all the key European institutions except the European Commission,” she noted, framing her presence in the EU capital as part of a broader effort to engage in “multilateral cooperation”. The renewed outreach comes as Kazakhstan attempts to present itself as a modernising state with legal institutions ready to support reforms. The Constitutional Court, reinstated in 2023 after a constitutional referendum, is still in its early stages…

Kiwis’ chances of winning tonight’s $23 million Powerball jackpot remain exactly the same as any other draw, despite misconceptions about how to improve the odds.The Powerball draw rolled over to $23 million last week after no tickets won the jackpot on April 16. It’s the largest jackpot since a New Plymouth man won $23.3 million last DecemberLotto NZ said a large prize does not change the nature of the draw, which is based entirely on chance.”Powerball always offers you the same one in 38.3 million chance to win First Division per line, regardless of the jackpot amount.”The growing prize pot…

ADVERTISEMENTMEPs in the budgets’ committee (BUDG) have said no to the European Commission’s idea to have one cash pot per member state under the EU’s next long-term budget (2028-34), the so-called Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), and instead called for a bigger and more ambitious budget.  By 23 votes in favour, nine against and two abstentions, MEPs adopted their vision for a simpler, more flexible, and people-focused budget—one that prioritises climate action, the digital transition, and employment, while responding to ongoing geopolitical challenges. “We want people and regions at the centre of the next MFF. We need strong investments to boost strategic autonomy, economic…

Cabinet is moving to simplify regulations for Early Childhood Education centres by the end of this year.Regulation Minister David Seymour held a media briefing about the changes on Wednesday morning.He will introduce an amendment bill in July, the result of his review into the ECE sector, which made 15 recommendations to the minister in December.He said Cabinet had also accepted the recommendations and this meant some laws would need to be amended.The Education and Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Bill would merge or change several of the 98 licensing criteria for pre-schools, many of which Seymour said were “arbitrary…

ADVERTISEMENTEurope wants to reduce irregular migration and speed up the return process for those whose asylum application has been rejected. With this in mind, the European Commission has proposed a Common European System for Returns. Currently, return rates stand at around 20 percent – a figure deemed insufficient by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The proposal includes the possibility of establishing return hubs in third countries, based on agreements concluded either bilaterally or at the European level. However, the implementation and legal feasibility of such agreements remain complex. The Italy-Albania protocol is an example of this. In 2023, Rome…

A woman has been charged after she allegedly assaulted crew members on a flight from a New Zealand airport to Sydney earlier this week, Australian police say.The Western Australian woman, 44, allegedly became physically and verbally abusive towards airline staff on Monday night, according to Australian Federal Police (AFP).It came after the crew “spoke to her on several occasions about her alleged inappropriate, disruptive and antisocial behaviour,” authorities said.Airline staff asked for police “assistance to remove the woman from the aircraft” on its arrival into Sydney, before officers boarded the plane at the airport.”It is alleged the woman refused to…

ADVERTISEMENTGiven the fragility of today’s global landscape and the US administration’s wariness towards multilateral diplomacy, any forum bringing together world leaders offers a rare chance to make progress on key issues.The Pope’s funeral in Rome this coming Saturday will therefore provide many such moments.Among the expected attendees are top European figures, including Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, French president Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.But as the first US president to attend a papal funeral since George W. Bush paid his respects to Pope John Paul II in 2005, all eyes will be on Donald Trump. The briefest…