Author: Press Room

The Security Service for Ukraine announced on Saturday that it had captured two soldiers from North Korea in Russia’s Kursk region and they are being questioned in Kyiv. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he’s prepared to return two captured North Korean soldiers to Pyongyang in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia.That statement comes after the Security Service for Ukraine (SSU) announced on Saturday that it had captured two soldiers from North Korea in Russia’s Kursk region.”If Kim Jong Un even remembers these citizens of his and is capable of organising an exchange for our warriors held…

A Dunedin-based cancer diagnostics company’s share price halved after a decision by a United States healthcare provider to revoke coverage for its flagship product. After a trading halt over the weekend, Pacific Edge said in an announcement to the stock exchange yesterday it “cannot believe” Medicare administrative contractor Novitas did not review its most recent evidence for its Cxbladder cancer tests, after committing to do so in writing, and is considering a legal challenge. Last week Novitas, which has jurisdiction for Pacific Edge’s US laboratory, dealt a blow to the company by denying coverage for the cost of its Cxbladders…

Air New Zealand has been named the world’s safest airline for the second year in a row, narrowly beating trans-Tasman rival Qantas.The Airline Ratings site rated the safety and in-flight product of 385 airlines using its own seven-star rating system.In creating its report, the site considered a wide range of factors, including fatal accidents, audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies, industry-leading safety initiatives, fleet age and more. Another factor was how airlines handled these incidents.However, the report left out incidents such as bird strikes, turbulence injuries and weather diversions, since the airlines had no control over these occurrences.AirlineRatings.com editor-in…

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at an annual security conference on Sunday that Sweden is not at war but there is also no peace, the news agency TT reported. ADVERTISEMENTSweden has said it will contribute up to three warships to a NATO effort to increase the alliance’s presence in the Baltic Sea as it tries to guard against sabotage of underwater infrastructure, the government announced.The Swedish military also will contribute an ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, Stockholm said.And the country’s coast guard will contribute four ships to help monitor the Baltic, with a further seven vessels on standby.The government said this…

A family friend says the death of a migrant worker at an Auckland workplace has destroyed a family.A memorial service held for Jun Jiang on Monday in the suburb of Wiri was filled with tears and emotion.The 37-year-old Chinese national came to New Zealand on a work visa to work for Auckland company SD Aluminium, in late 2022. His wife, Jia Fan, later joined her husband on a partner visa with their 8-year-old daughter.But Jiang fell from a scissor lift while moving aluminium extrusions at the company’s Albany warehouse in December, and died last week in Auckland City Hospital.Jiang’s wife…

The Kerch Strait is an important global shipping route, providing passage from the inland Sea of Azov to the Black Sea and has been a key point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow annexed the peninsula in 2014. ADVERTISEMENTAn emergency taskforce has arrived in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region as an oil spill in the Kerch Strait from two storm-stricken tankers continues to spread a month after it was first detected.The team, which includes Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, was set up after Russian President Vladimir Putin called on authorities on Friday to ramp up the response to the…

Hundreds of thousands of maths books, teaching guides, and resources are being packed up for schools around the country ahead of the new school year.Education Minister Erica Stanford told 1News 450,000-plus children “will have a high-quality, curriculum aligned, internationally comparable workbook in their hand” from next year, while teachers will receive guidebooks and lesson plans for mathematics.”That’s absolutely huge,” she said.The distributor told 1News it’s the biggest education order they’ll carry out in the shortest amount of time. In August 2024, the Government announced a plan to “transform maths education” by bringing forward the introduction of the refreshed maths curriculum…

May’s vote will, to a large extent, determine whether Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s coalition government can implement its agenda. ADVERTISEMENTPoland’s presidential election in May will be a make-or-break moment for Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose government has struggled to enact policies in the face of opposition from incumbent President Andrzej Duda. Since it ousted the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party from power more than a year ago, Tusk’s pro-European government has seen its popularity dented by its failure to bring about change. Duda, of the PiS party, has used his presidential veto to block some of the coalition’s initiatives.…

European glass fibre producers lodge an anti-dumping complaint calling on the Commission to apply anti-dumping duties on production passing through the Belt and Road Initiative. ADVERTISEMENTEuropean glass fibre producers have lodged an anti-dumping complaint against Chinese manufacturers operating out of Egypt alleging that they benefit from unfair subsidies and calling for duties to be applied, according to two sources familiar with the issue.The case will be closely watched coming days before US President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated. Trump has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on Chinese products, and European manufacturers fear that there may be corresponding increases of deflected Chinese…

Thirteen new sections off a flood-damaged road in the Marlborough Sounds have been granted consent, despite concerns about sediment runoff and the removal of vegetation.A consent for 27 lots on the section, on Kenepuru Rd, near Portage Resort, was originally granted to the owner in 2008, but the subdivision did not go ahead due to economic downturn in the global financial crisis.A resource consent hearing was held in August before independent commissioner Antoinette Besier to consider the latest proposal for 13 sections. Besier released her decision to grant the consent on November 29.The proposed sizes for the sections would range…