Author: Press Room

The Government is refusing to say whether it is revoking the citizenship of a man who used his brother’s passport to become a New Zealander.Bangladesh-born Jahangir Alam, who pretended to be his brother for 20 years, was handed the longest prison term in New Zealand history for passport fraud in August.He was jailed for four years and his wife, Taj Parvin Shilpi, was sentenced to home detention. They pleaded not guilty to 40 charges of immigration and passport fraud but a jury found them guilty.Internal Affairs (DIA) said it would not discuss the couple’s citizenship to protect their privacy.It said…

She has sung for queens, presidents, and packed concert halls across the world, but Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s greatest legacy may now be what she leaves behind.Nearly 60 years after winning the Mobil Song Quest, the celebrated soprano has come full circle. Her foundation has been announced as the new principal partner of New Zealand’s most prestigious classical singing competition, which from 2026 will be renamed the Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest.“I feel very elated,” she told 1News. “There are so many good singers out there who just need a chance.”It is a fitting partnership for the woman whose own…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a new injunction in the Marokopa case, Chlöe Swarbrick slams a ‘distraction’, and California motorists save a woman trapped under a crashed chopper. A new injunction’s in place over reporting on the Marokopa family case. Chlöe Swarbrick says the focus on damage at Winston Peters’ home and her relationships with activists is a ‘distraction’.Gaza peace talks are ongoing, as commemorations of the October 7 attacks take place. Pressure to resign is mounting on French president Emmanuel Macron. ADVERTISEMENTCalifornia motorists had to lift part of a crashed medical helicopter off an injured woman.

Activists blockaded the entrance to the National Aerospace Summit at Christchurch’s Te Pae Convention Centre this morning.The protest, organised by Peace Action Ōtautahi, began today at 8.30am with many protestors pictured sitting at entrances to Te Pae Convention Centre in an attempt to prevent the summit from going ahead. The group aimed to raise public awareness of what it said were ties between the aerospace sector, the US military, and the Israeli Defence Force.A person is carried by police in front of Te Pae Convention Centre in Christchurch. (Source: 1News)”There is no place for war profiteers and genocide enablers in…

Whānau and friends of a much-loved Taranaki man believe his coward-punch killer’s prison sentence is not tough enough.Daytona Thompson, who killed videographer Daniel Nganeko, and filmed and taunted him as he lay dying, will remain locked up for four years and two months.Nganeko, 37, died after a punch outside of the Tukapa Rugby club in New Plymouth during the club’s prizegiving in July.Daniel Nganeko. (Source: Supplied/RNZ)Thompson, 22, was sentenced in the High Court at New Plymouth on Tuesday.Over 100 supporters of the Coward Punch Movement waited outside court to hear the outcome.As Nganeko’s father Te Uraura Nganeko broke the news,…

Legislation boosting marine protections in the Hauraki Gulf has passed its third reading, but not without criticism over a carve-out for commercial ring-net fishing in high protection areas.The Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill builds on decades-long efforts to protect the gulf from the degradation of human activities.It extends two existing marine reserves, where removing any marine life is prohibited, and establishes five seafloor protection areas (SPAs), where the bottom of the ocean can’t be significantly disturbed.The bill also establishes 12 high protection areas (HPAs) where a range of activities, including most commercial and recreational fishing, are prohibited.These HPAs…

Disgraced former realtor and convicted fraudster Aaron Drever has been handed more jail time for concealing income and property that could have been used to pay creditors while bankrupt. Drever, who was already behind bars for insolvency crimes, was sentenced to a further eight months in prison at the Auckland District Court on Monday. His latest sentence was for continually lying about being unemployed and on the benefit, when he was actually working. The sentence handed out Monday was the latest in a saga of legal troubles for the once high-flying real estate agent and business owner. He had been…

Whakatāne mayoral candidate Wilson James says he has no idea who is placing replica volleyballs from the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away on his election signs – but says it adds a fun element to his campaign.The Awakeri farmer and rural councillor for Rangitaiki ward said at least four of the balls had been placed as of last week and appeared to move from sign to sign from one week to the next. “Someone is going to some effort to do it as most signs are not only quite high off the ground, requiring a ladder, they also have to…

ADVERTISEMENT On Tuesday, events across Germany commemorated the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had some strong words of support for Israel. “As a German, I am automatically the clearest defender of Israel, not just as Johann Wadephul,” he told Paul Ronzheimer, host of Germany’s number one daily current affairs podcast. Wadephul praised himself for being “the one who always stands most clearly on Israel’s side” when he is surrounded by his EU counterparts in Brussels. At the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Tuesday, the names of the Israeli victims on that day…

Thirty paintings created by the bushy-haired, soft-spoken Bob Ross will soon be up for auction to defray the costs of programming for public US television stations suffering from cuts in federal funding.Ross, a public television stalwart in the 1980s and ’90s, “dedicated his life to making art accessible to everyone”, said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc. “This auction ensures his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought his joy and creativity into American homes for decades.”Bonhams in Los Angeles will auction three of Ross’ paintings on November 11. Other auctions will follow in London, New York,…