Author: Press Room

Published on 31/07/2025 – 18:00 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Siberia for “spreading disinformation” about the Russian military, following the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was released in 2024 as part of a prisoner/spy swap negotiated by former US President Biden, former German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin.    In an interview with Euronews’ The Europe Conversation he laments how Western leaders bought into a “myth” in the early days of Putin’s first term in office as president, and before that as Prime Minister. Kara-Murza said Putin was never a modernising force who “believed…

Police have released a statement on behalf of the family of a man killed in Hamilton earlier this month.Tyreece Te Pairi, aged 20, was died in hospital after being critically injured during a fight between two groups of people on Alexandra St at about 12.10am on July 20.Three others were treated for moderate and serious injuries after the incident.Police earlier said Te Pairi was celebrating his upcoming 21st birthday. An 18-year-old was arrested in relation to the death last week, and a police investigation remained ongoing.The family said: “We have now laid our boy, Tyreece Te Pairi, to rest in…

Twenty-seven people have been arrested following a joint police-customs investigation involving the importation of significant quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine into New Zealand through unattended baggage.A major transnational organised crime syndicate was allegedly working with local gangs to smuggle the Class A drugs through unattended baggage on international flights — primarily through Auckland International Airport, Detective Inspector Tom Gollan said.The first phase of Operation Matata led to the arrests of 18 people on serious criminal and drug charges on June 24. It was followed by a second phase in which police and customs investigators searched 19 properties across the Auckland…

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has lashed out at councillors for not attending meetings in person.According to Auckland Council, two committee meetings in the past two months could not go ahead because they did not meet quorum. That is, they didn’t have enough members attend.The Revenue, Expenditure and Value Committee on June 17 and the Performance and Appointments Committee on July 29 both had to be lapsed.Councillors were required to be in person to count towards a quorum.At the start of today’s governing body meeting, the mayor pointed out that five of the city’s 20 councillors were joining the meeting remotely.”I’m…

Rotorua’s mayor has taken aim at the regional council as she joins a chorus of voices calling for an urgent fix for a corroded lake wall.Two community groups have raised alarm bells over the state of the Ōhau channel diversion wall, which was built in 2008 to stop more polluted waters from flowing into Lake Rotoiti.The groups presented an urgent letter of demand to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council over their concerns for the lake.But the regional council insisted it was not breaching consent over the wall, and says it remained structurally sound despite unforeseen microbial corrosion.The $11 million…

New Zealand’s economic downturn is proving hard to shake — but economists say when it comes to identifying the cause, it’s not as simple as pointing the finger at government spending cutbacks or the Reserve Bank’s interest rate hikes.Although conditions are expected to improve as the year progresses, the economy remains sluggish. The primary sector is providing one of the few bright spots.Last weekend, when issuing an annual update, Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr blamed the Reserve Bank’s decision to thrust the economy into recession to tamp down problem inflation.Some readers contacted RNZ, saying that was too simplistic and letting…

Few big surprises have emerged as more than 350 candidates file nominations for Auckland council positions ahead of tomorrow’s deadline for local elections.Wayne Brown faces eight opponents for the mayoralty, but no strong challenge from the right, with his deputy, Desley Simpson, deciding against entering the race in June.Contesting him from the left, his strongest opponent appears to be councillor Kerrin Leoni, who was standing down from her Whau seat after one term to target the mayoralty. Leoni previously told 1News her campaign would ramp up closer to the time of the election. Others nominated include former New Conservatives leader…

ADVERTISEMENT Portugal deployed 2,500 firefighters on Thursday to battle 10 active wildfires as authorities evacuated four villages in Ponte da Barca and arrested a suspect linked to four blazes in northern districts. The fire in Arouca, in the Aveiro district, has involved the largest contingent of responders, with 675 firefighters on the ground since early morning. Residents provided food, water and supplies to firefighters gathering at the Arouca Volunteer Fire Brigade headquarters as operations continued across multiple fronts. While there were no remaining active fronts in Arouca, the flames have spread to Castelo de Paiva and Cinfães, complicating the efforts…

The Government’s repeal of the 2018 oil and gas exploration ban has passed its final reading in Parliament.The legislation had been set down for Tuesday night, but was delayed after a last-minute amendment to change the rules around liability for the clean up of decommissioned oil and gas fields.The Climate Minister, Simon Watts, stood in for Resources Minister Shane Jones — saying the ban has pushed power prices up.”The ban sent a chilling message to the investment community, halting the very exploration that underpins our energy security, and leading directly to the supply constraints and price volatility that we see…

A last-minute rule change to allow small dogs on buses has left Environment Canterbury staff scrambling to make workable.Councillors adopted the Canterbury Regional Transport Plan 2025/35 at a council meeting on Wednesday after a late amendment from councillor David East to allow passengers to take a small dog on the bus with a lead and a muzzle.East’s motion passed by 8-7, and followed an earlier amendment proposed by councillor Joe Davies, which would have allowed small dogs to travel in their owner’s lap, which lost 9-6.This was despite staff advice that dogs are not permitted in the Christchurch bus interchange,…