Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTA social media video allegedly showing the rape of a 16-year-old girl has shocked Portugal, leading one of the country’s MEPs to call on the EU to do more to prevent the dissemination of harmful online material. Footage of the alleged crime, which took place in February in Lisbon’s Loures district, has been viewed 32,000 times on social media. None of these viewers are thought to have referred the matter to the police, who were informed about the incident by the hospital where the victim went for treatment. Three suspects, aged between 17 and 19, were arrested but were later…

Ten gang members or associates have been arrested in Gisborne this week, police say.Detective Inspector Dave de Lange said officers executed search warrants related to alleged drug offending, in which eight people between 19 and 46 were arrested.They were charged with drug dealing offences, including methamphetamine and cannabis.“All seven have been remanded in custody and are due to appear in the Gisborne District Court on April 14,” he said.De Lange said two others were arrested over alleged obstruction and possession of cannabis. During the search warrants, police seized “significant quantities” of methamphetamine and cannabis, “as well as a shotgun and…

ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union has paused its counter-tariffs against the United States to further pursue talks with Donald Trump’s administration on how to resolve what, until a few hours ago, was shaping up to be an all-out trade war.The counter-tariffs, imposed in reaction to Trump’s duties on steel and aluminum, were approved on Wednesday by member states, targeting almost €21 billion in American products, such as soybeans, copper and motorbikes.The first raft, worth €3.9 billion, was supposed to go into effect on 15 April.But this will no longer be the case.”We want to give negotiations a chance,” Ursula von der Leyen,…

Auckland City Hospital’s newly expanded and upgraded adult emergency department opened its doors to patients earlier this morning, with a new triage area, added waiting areas, and additional consult rooms.The upgrade construction cost about $9 million, taking about a year to complete, and now had a total ground floor area of 600 square metres – which was double that of the old ED, according to Health NZ’s northern area head of infrastructure Chris Cardwell.Health Minister Simeon Brown opened the new ED in a ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside representatives from Health NZ, Ngati Whatua, doctors and nurses.”Prior to expansion, Auckland City Hospital’s…

ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union is breathing a deep sigh of relief after Donald Trump, under intense pressure from the market, U-turned and agreed to introduce a 90-day pause on his sweeping tariffs, which have threatened to cause a worldwide recession.”I welcome President Trump’s announcement to pause reciprocal tariffs. It’s an important step towards stabilising the global economy,” Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement released on Thursday morning.”Clear, predictable conditions are essential for trade and supply chains to function.”Von der Leyen seized the moment to, once again, highlight her offer for a “zero-for-zero” tariff agreement for all industrial goods between…

ADVERTISEMENTDefence ministers from the so-called “Coalition the Willing” will gather at NATO on Thursday afternoon to discuss which capabilities they can provide to support Ukraine’s defence in the event of a peace deal with Russia, but once again without US participation.Ministers from 30 countries will join the meeting convened by France and the UK for operational discussions to set up a reassurance force for Ukraine that is meant to act as a deterrent against potential Russian aggression.The meeting comes after a delegation of French and British military officials travelled to Kyiv for meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Defence Minister…

The New Zealand share market joined the global relief rally in response to the US pausing of hefty tariffs. The benchmark NZX-50 index closed up 3.3% – its best session since 2020. US markets surged between 8% and 12% in reaction to the pause of President Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was to speak with world leaders on the phone on Thursday about the new trading environment as the United States retaliates against China by hiking tariffs to 125%.

The Qualifications Authority says it is pushing ahead with the use of AI for exam-marking, while raising doubts about its misuse by school students.Appearing before the Education and Workforce Select Committee for its annual review on Wednesday, NZQA officials told MPs that artificial intelligence created risks for the integrity of internal assessment, yet 80% of NCEA credits last year came from internal assessed work.The authority’s chief executive Grant Klinkum told MPs it was providing data to inform the government’s work on the NCEA qualification.He said an example of that data was the fact that last year 80% of NCEA credits…

By Gyles Beckford of RNZ New Zealand and many of the world’s economies have a ringside seat to what may prove to be the biggest head-to-head trade war between two giants seen in recent history. The unexpected retreat by the White House on its major policy to level the global trade playing field, by pausing its punitive tariffs against trade partners for 90 days – except China, has wrong-footed many countries. The White House is spinning the pivot as part of a calculated plan, which has brought serial offenders by the dozen to the bargaining table to negotiate deals, although it may…

Investigators have concluded the pilot of a cruise vessel Fiordland Navigator was asleep at the wheel when it grounded last year.The boat ran aground in Doubtful Sound on the 24 January, 2024.It was moderately damaged, including a small hole below the waterline, and several of the 57 passengers on board suffered minor injuries.Following a comprehensive investigation, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission released a report on Thursday noting it was “virtually certain the fatigued master fell asleep at the helm”.Chief investigator of accidents Naveen Kozhuppakalam said operator RealNZ had lax safety standards.”RealNZ’s safety system didn’t monitor actual rest hours or effectively…