Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTThe centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), their sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) have reached an agreement to form a government 45 days after Germany’s snap federal election.The party leaders said at a press conference in Berlin that they have reached compromises on key issues such as cutting taxes and stabilising pensions. CDU leader Friedrich Merz said that Germany is now a stable country after four years of instability and his message to US President Donald Trump is that Germany is “back on track.”Both SPD co-chair Lars Klingbeil and Merz agree that illegal immigration…

A pair of Dunedin business owners were so set on staying in the city they decided to relocate their recently bought Auckland beauty company to home turf. Packed inside a 40-foot shipping container, the formerly Auckland-based Essentially Tamara made the voyage down to Dunedin just over a year ago, in what was the “ultimate game of … Tetris”, co-director Matt Lamb said. “We thought, we can’t really move our family and our other businesses all the way to the other end of the country. “So we’ll just bring it down to us.” Stock, raw materials, machinery — “literally the whole…

Three gang members have been charged with unlawful possession of firearms and weapons following recent gang conflict in Tairāwhiti. Police were issued a Gang Conflict Warrant on March 24 giving them special search powers to address to address recent reports of firearms and disorder. Tairāwhiti area commander Inspector Danny Kirk said the warrant was sought after eight incidents were reported between March 16 and March 23. “Police have been able to hold offenders accountable for their offending and send a clear message to gang members that their dangerous behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.A 20-year-old man faces charges of…

ADVERTISEMENTThe European Parliament and EU governments have agreed rules designed to reduce the risk of accidental microplastic pollution, in the wake of recent incidents where spills led to millions of small particles washing up on European beaches.The European Commission estimates that over 50,000 and possibly up to 184,000 tonnes of plastic pellets – known as nurdles and used to produce everything from toys to plastic bottles – are inadvertently released into the environment each year.But despite the scale of the problem, and the fact that 38% of shipments in Europe are carried by sea, the EU executive had chosen not…

Auckland’s Hill House Cafe has been making its popular ‘Cinna-buns’ from a family recipe for years, but is in desperate need of a new name for the buns after a large US company brought its chain to NZ.The cafe is being forced to change the name of the gooey spicy pull-apart cinnamon buns has put the call out for suggestions.Hill House Cafe co-owner Leilana Meredith told Checkpoint they were in desperate need of a new name for their cinnamon buns.”Our beloved bun for the last three years that our community has grown an attachment to and been nominated for one…

ADVERTISEMENTThe president of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), the European Parliament’s largest group, said he feels privileged to be targeted in a current billboard campaign of the Hungarian government.The Hungarian government is encouraging citizens to vote in a national consultation over the bid of Ukraine for accession to the EU. Viktor Orbán’s government favours blocking Kyiv’s accession considering it harmful to the EU and the Hungarian economy.The billboards are designed to encourage people to vote and show pictures of EPP president Manfred Weber, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen together with Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelenskyy under the slogan:…

Police have arrested the last senior Comanchero Motorcycle Gang leader after allegedly importing methamphetamine and cocaine into the country.Last year, police charged nearly ever member of the gang after a years-long probe.The gang’s national vice president was arrested in the Auckland suburb of Howick yesterday.The 36-year-old was charged over an investigation into the importation of methamphetamine at the Port of Tauranga last December, and the importation of cocaine into the country earlier this year.“It will be alleged that this man played a significant role in working across transnational organised criminal groups with these importations,” Police Assistant Commissioner: investigations Paul Basham…

ADVERTISEMENTIn the south of Europe, many men of retirement age have one favourite pastime: patiently watching construction sites with their hands on their backs, often commenting on the quality of the works.Now, the Italian town of Villasanta has decided to capitalise on their interest — and their expertise.The town of some 14,000 near Monza in the northeastern region of Lombardy has enlisted eight “umarell” — an affectionate term for the men in the Emilian dialect, meaning “little guy” — to observe and report on all public works in their community.The initiative, launched by Mayor Lorenzo Galli, aims to address the…

Renowned te reo Māori translator and linguist Te Haumihiata Mason (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Pango) has been bestowed an honorary doctorate from the University of Waikato.Mason, whose translation works include The Diary of Anne Frank and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was conferred yesterday in a graduation ceremony presided by former Governor-General and University of Waikato Chancellor Sir Anand Satyanand.Speaking to Te Karere, she credits her success to the people who supported her throughout her academic career, as well as those who raised her.“I kōrero rā ahau mō ngā whakatupuranga e toru i whakatupu i au kia wahine… he mihi…

The head of the Health New Zealand team looking into issues at Nelson Hospital says he hopes to have some answers in the coming weeks, but solutions may be a different story.Dr Richard Sullivan is the chief clinical officer for Health NZ and leading the team, announced last week after a series of 1News stories. Senior doctors told 1News they had for months, if not years, been raising concerns about how staffing levels were impacting patients.”So, part of the reason why we’re here is to support the team and go okay there’s been some concerns raised and so we need…