Author: Press Room

Auckland Football Club are working to identify and ban anyone responsible for anti-social incidents during Saturday’s match against Western Sydney.In a statement to RNZ, police said they were continuing their investigation into the incidents that saw one person arrested for assault and another for disorder.”The victim, who is an Australian national, was taken to Middlemore Hospital. He has had to undergo surgery for facial injuries sustained in the assault,” police said.”A 46-year-old man was arrested at the stadium over the incident.”Police said they had not ruled out pressing charges.Social media videos have surfaced of both sets of fans acting aggressively…

ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission’s funding of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is “opaque” and exposes the executive to “reputational risk”, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has concluded following a lengthy probe. But its report may not be the smoking gun that some critics were hoping for.“We did not find a single case during our audit of an NGO breaching EU values,” the ECA member responsible for the report, Laima Andrikienė, told reporters at a briefing shortly before publication.This came with the caveat, however, that her office had examined a random sample of only 90 contracts, and may have missed something. “We have…

A Samoan national has been sentenced to four years in prison for migrant exploitation and corruption of a public official.The individual, who has interim name suppression, was sentenced in the Auckland District Court today after pleading guilty to five representative charges of aiding and abetting breach of visa conditions, six charges of exploitation of unlawful migrants, and one representative charge of corruption of a public official.They were also ordered to pay $4000 in reparation to the victims. An associate has also been charged and is awaiting sentencing.Between 2014 and 2021, the individual and their associate employed Samoan nationals unlawfully and…

ADVERTISEMENTIsrael has backtracked on its initial account of how 15 Palestinian first responders were killed near Rafah on March 23, after a video retrieved from one of the deceased workers’ phones appeared to contradict its version of events.An Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) official, speaking on condition of anonymity over the weekend, acknowledged that its original claim the emergency vehicles had proceeded “suspiciously” and “without headlights or emergency signals” had been “mistaken.”The footage claiming to show the attack, first shared by the New York Times, shows all vehicles had their headlights and emergency signals on, meaning their emblems were clearly visible.There…

The Government has revealed it will pump billions into the Defence Force as it releases its long-awaited defence capability plan this afternoon. Around $12 billion has been committed over the next four years – including $9 billion of new spending. The announcement means the country’s spending on defence will increase from just over 1% of GDP to more than 2% in the next eight years.Today’s announcement comes as a 1News Verian poll reveals 39% of Kiwis support greater levels of military spending, with 23% opposed and 38% unsure.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the additional spending was essential.”Global tensions are increasing…

ADVERTISEMENTAround 10,793 victims of human trafficking were registered in the EU in 2023, an increase of 6.9% compared with the previous year, according to the latest Eurostat figures. So far, this is the highest recorded value between 2008 and 2023. In 2023, there were 24 registered victims of trafficking in human beings per one million inhabitants in the EU – a rise from 23 registered victims per one million inhabitants in 2022. The highest rates in the EU were observed in Luxembourg, Greece, the Netherlands, Austria, and Sweden, while the lowest rates were observed in Croatia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic.”Higher rates could…

Current and former members of a secretive sect operating in New Zealand are being urged to report allegations of child abuse.The FBI in the US is investigating claims of abuse at the sect, which has no official name but has been dubbed the ‘Two By Two’ or ‘The Truth’.Tristan Phipps left the church 20 years ago and is calling for people to come forward. He told 1News he was speaking out in the hope of helping others.Growing up in New Zealand, he said he was never meant to listen to music, watch television, wear jewellery, or dance so he would…

ADVERTISEMENTMigrant return hubs, a stronger role for Frontex and toughening the criteria for migrants to be joined by their families are among stances touted by a new position paper on migration adopted by the European People’s Party (EPP) group this week, which would align the party with its more right-wing counterparts in the Parliament. this week moving, pushing its stance on the topic further to the right.Under the title “Harnessing Migration: A Firm, Fair, and Future-Oriented Approach” the document, described as a 9-point action plan “to halt uncontrolled migration” seen by Euronews is meant to define to define the group’s stance on…

An exterminator will be visiting Nelson Hospital every day this week to keep on top of a wasp issue in one of the surgical wards. More video sent to 1News from over the weekend show a possible nest of wasps in the ceiling of a room in Ward 10. It also shows a large number of dead wasps in a staff bathroom, after they were killed with fly spray. In a statement, Health New Zealand told 1News: “The exterminator treated the areas of concern over the weekend and will return daily this week to assess and apply further treatment as…

Crocodile jerky, whale and bear meat, and luxury handbags and boots made from python and crocodile skin were among the goods the Department of Conservation seized or was surrendered last year under United Nations conventions.The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) monitors and controls international travel of items containing protected animals and plants.It ensures that long-term of species is not threatened.A permit can be applied for to import a CITES protected plant or animal item into New Zealand, but those without will be seized or surrendered.A bear rug seized by the Department of Conservation. (Source: Department of Conservation.)DOC…