Author: Press Room

NZ First Minister Shane Jones says Transpower should “find the weak link and send them to the knacker’s yard” over the collapse of a power pylon in Northland earlier this year.It follows the release of an independent report into the incident, which was caused by the removal of too many nuts from the baseplate of the pylon, and resulted in between $37.5 million and $80m in losses to the local economy. It left about 88,000 people without power.The tower, in Glorit, was being worked on by a Omexom crew – a Transpower contractor.The report found Transpower had an overreliance on…

Natallia Hersche was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for participating in a political protest. She speaks to Euronews about conditions and her release. ADVERTISEMENTAfter pulling a balaclava off a police officer, Belarusian opposition activist Natallia Hersche was sentenced to two and half years in prison in September 2020, serving a portion of her sentence in a men’s facility. Now that she is free again, she is fighting to ensure that the 1,300 people who are behind bars in Belarus because of their ideas are not forgotten.Euronews met with Natallia at the Hohenschönhausen Memorial in Berlin, a…

Over 300 Kāinga Ora jobs are on the chopping block as the public housing agency moves into another round of re-structuring.Management briefed staff on the changes this afternoon amid a tumultuous time for the organisation, which has seen significant changes this year.Change processes proposed today could see a net reduction of 321 roles across the organisation’s urban planning and design; commercial; construction and innovation; and investment management office teams, according to Kāinga Ora.Chief executive Matt Crockett said any changes would be confirmed in mid-November and that the agency wanted to achieve “the Government’s housing delivery expectations in the most efficient…

The Ukrainian president told foreign leaders there is no alternative to the ‘peace formula’ he presented two years ago. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urged global leaders Wednesday to stand with his country and not seek “an out” instead of a “real, just peace” more than two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At a time when he faces growing pressure from Western allies and some of his fellow Ukrainians to negotiate a ceasefire, Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly there is no alternative to the “peace formula” he presented two years ago.Among other things, his proposal includes the expulsion…

A person has died following an avalanche in the Arrowsmith Range area in Canterbury today.Police say they were notified of the avalanche at 12.25pm.One person was trapped in the avalanche and was in critical condition when they were recovered.They died a short time later, police said.”Nobody is unaccounted for following the avalanche,” it said.The Arrowsmith Range in Mid Canterbury. (Source: Google Maps)”Details of the deceased cannot be provided until all necessary next of kin notifications have taken place.”Earlier today, a spokesperson for Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) told 1News it was coordinating a response alongside police. “It was…

Invercargill residents living at a remote village inside a city reserve can remain in their homes — but there’s a catch.Once 35 years is up, those who call Coopers Creek home must pack up and leave, ending what will be more than 100 years of residence by that point.The cribs in the village, located about 15km from Invercargill, next to Whalers Bay, are “non-conforming” due to the reserve status of the land.On Tuesday, the council moved that annual licences at Coopers Creek be replaced by a 21-year licence with rights of renewal to a maximum of 35 years.In doing so,…

Nature conservationists have denounced as ‘shameful’ a back-room agreement that saw all but two EU governments acquiesce to a European Commission proposal to ease protection for Europe’s burgeoning wolf populations. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU has moved a step further towards legalising the routine culling or hunting of wolves, with governments agreeing today to propose changes to an international convention on wildlife conservation in a move slammed by green groups.EU diplomats agreed behind closed doors to vote in favour of tabling a motion to downgrade the status of wolves under the 1979 Bern Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats,…

An aviation industry group says traffic congestion around a new outlet mall, a stone’s throw from Auckland Airport, is frustrating airlines and causing some delays.Mānawa Bay, which is owned by Auckland International Airport, is less than three kilometres from the airport and has attracted some huge crowds since it opened late last week, causing traffic chaos.The mall owner expects traffic volumes will ease in the coming weeks.Auckland Council said the mall had to meet several conditions relating to access, parking and traffic circulation and there was a detailed transport assessment as part of the consent process.However, the board of Airline…

This article was originally published in Italian In an interview with Euronews, Ambassador of Lebanon to Belgium Fadi Hajali called on Brussels to go one step further in imposing sanctions on Israel. ADVERTISEMENTAmbassador of Lebanon to Belgium Fadi Hajali has slammed the escalation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon in recent days, calling it an “existential threat” to the Lebanese people in an interview with Euronews. “The huge number of casualties is simply atrocious, unheard of in Lebanon in a single day,” Hajali said, referring to the Israeli bombardment on Monday, which authorities say has killed over 500 people. Hajali told Euronews…

New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris has no respect for Parliament and is “astounded” Ferris has not apologised for comments implying parliamentarians tell lies.It comes as Speaker Gerry Brownlee referred Ferris to Parliament’s Privileges Committee over comments he made in Parliament last week.Last Wednesday in the House, Ferris said a “knowledge gap” was a “dangerous thing” and “allows lies to be presented as truths”.”Politicians call this obfuscation. The art of making something unclear, intentionally vague, ambiguous, to conceal or obscure the truth, to confuse others.”Lies – in other words. Many in this House…