Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTChina has dismissed remarks made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which he claimed officials in Beijing are aware that Chinese citizens are fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine.At a press conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian slammed the claims as “irresponsible remarks”.”We advise the relevant parties to recognise China’s role correctly and clear-headedly,” Lin told reporters, without directly naming either Zelenskyy or Ukraine.Lin said Beijing always advises its nationals to avoid any foreign conflict and in particular discourages Chinese citizens from joining foreign military operations.The rebuke came after Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Ukraine had evidence of at…

The Ministry of Health isn’t tracking how many New Zealanders are living with Parkinson’s disease, despite it being the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.The estimated 13,000 Kiwis live with Parkinson’s, a number that has increased by about 40% in the past decade, according to neuroscientist Toni Pitcher.“We’ve developed a method whereby we can estimate the number of people with Parkinson’s… based on the medication used,” she told 1News.Health NZ told 1News it doesn’t collate the data as there isn’t a definitive test for Parkinson’s. GPs and neurologists diagnose the condition and don’t report what they say is “nationally…

ADVERTISEMENTSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is in Beijing, his second stop on a two-country tour of Asia which comes against a backdrop of serious geopolitical tensions due to Donald Trump’s tariff war.During his visit to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam on Wednesday, Sánchez praised the tariff pause as “a gateway to negotiation and agreement between countries,” after Trump suspended levies on most countries, with the exception of China, for 90 days.Ahead of his visit, the White House warned the Spanish government against cosying up to Beijing.In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that…

ADVERTISEMENTA two-day EU-Ukraine Business summit is under way in Brussels, as the bloc looks to deepen economic ties with Kyiv, accelerate Ukraine’s recovery and support its path to accession and integration into the EU single market.Addressing delegates, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that his country joining the EU would be beneficial for the bloc itself. “Accelerating Ukraine’s EU accession is not just a gesture of solidarity, it is an investment in Europe’s strength,” he said. “We call on European leaders to fast-track Ukraine’s integration and shorten our path to full membership. We call on European businesses to invest in…

When an extremely rare native plant was discovered during road works on the iconic Forgotten World Highway, State Highway 43, local iwi leapt into action.The nationally endangered plant Brachyglottis turneri, or Manawa Kawa, as it has been named by iwi, is similar to an orchid with a heart-shaped leaf and small yellow flower that blooms from November to December.It can only be found in 11 locations in Taranaki and a handful of places in Whanganui.The Manawa Kawa was found in native forest in the Tāngarākau Gorge during work by NZTA Waka Kotahi to seal the road, improve drainage and add…

ADVERTISEMENTIn February, North Macedonia abstained from two UN resolutions condemning Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, a decision that reflected the country’s alignment with its key ally, the United States, amid complex geopolitical dynamics in Europe, the country’s Foreign minister has told Euronews in an interview. “In this current situation, because there was no alignment within the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the European Union, we chose to vote aligned with our strategic partner, the United States,” Mucunski said, adding: “This means that we do support Ukraine, and we do support the necessity of protecting Ukraine’s integrity and territorial sovereignty. We also…

ADVERTISEMENTRussia launched another round of overnight attacks on Ukraine from Wednesday into Thursday, targeting it with a total of 145 Shahed and decoy drones, according to Ukraine’s Armed Forces Telegram channel.The large-scale drone assault targeted multiple regions, including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Poltava, and Mykolaiv, causing both injuries and material damage.In the southern city of Mykolaiv, at least 10 people were injured as residential buildings were struck, damaging apartments and personal belongings.Posting on X, local Governor Vitaliy Kim condemned the attack, writing that “The terror must stop”. Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s central-eastern region of Poltava, the head of the Opishnia community,…

An animal welfare advocate has painted a grim picture of Masterton’s dog control issues, labelling the situation “untenable”.A child was bitten on the face over the weekend, while irresponsible owners are killing or dumping surplus puppies, the advocate told council.Masterton District Council recently consulted on an updated dog control policy and bylaw which attracted 135 submissions from the community.The Control of Dogs Bylaw and the Dog Policy aimed to minimise danger, distress and nuisance to the community while striking a balance with the needs of dogs and their owners for exercise and recreation.On Wednesday, the council’s hearings committee heard submissions…

ADVERTISEMENTMen who commit sexual offences against children are almost four times more likely to use dating platforms than non-offenders reveals a new study conducted by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute. According to the study’s findings, nearly two thirds of men who have sexually assaulted children use dating platforms, with over one in five offenders using dating apps daily.The research, which was carried out on a sample of 5,000 men in the UK, US and Australia, found that 11.5% of surveyed men admitted to having sexual feelings towards children and that 11% confessed to committing sexual offences against minors.The men were…

Three people have been fined for promoting a “cash-gifting” pyramid scheme that targeted the Pasifika community in South Auckland.The scheme, known as ‘6K Gifting Co-operative’ (6K), ran in 2020 and 2021 and saw legal action taken by the Commerce Commission. It is estimated that at least 240 people took part in the scheme and between $225,000 and $336,750 was invested by participants.Associate Commissioner Joseph Liava’a said as the scheme was cash-based it was hard to measure the full financial impact and “evidence found during our investigation suggests that the scheme may in fact have been larger”.The 6K scheme was promoted…