Author: Press Room
Failed Mosgiel businessman Malcolm Burns has finally been declared bankrupt despite a last-ditch effort to delay the decision a fourth time. Associate Judge Dale Lester declared Mr Burns bankrupt in the High Court at Dunedin on June 12 after the previous week giving him “a last chance” to pay what his company Otago Excavation owes vehicle leasing business FleetPartners Group. The bankruptcy of Mr Burns, who has several businesses in liquidation owing millions to multiple creditors, was sought by NZGT (FP) Trustee Ltd, on behalf of FleetPartners Group. Private investigator Thomas James, who acted on behalf of FleetPartners, confirmed the…
The decision to call a non-emergency line to notify police about a mental health patient’s admission that he had attacked a woman with an axe is forming part of a review into the double-killer’s care.It comes as the daughter of Faye Phelps backs calls for an independent inquiry into the mental health system.The 83-year-old was murdered by mental health patient Elliot Cameron in October last year.A suppression order was lifted on Monday, allowing RNZ to report Cameron killed his brother Jeffrey Cameron in 1975. A jury found him not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and detained as a…
Published on 19/06/2025 – 16:33 GMT+2•Updated 16:37ADVERTISEMENTThe foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom – collectively known as the E3 – will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva to discuss Iran’s nuclear program in Geneva on Friday.While the EU has historically played a key role in negotiations with Iran, it seems unlikely to participate in the formal talks.When asked by Euronews whether EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas would participate in the talks, a European Commission spokesperson gave no clear confirmation.“We have always expressed our openness to dialogue and negotiation. When such dialogue occurs, we…
A sight- and hearing-impaired man who was hit by a motorcyclist on a pedestrian crossing in Rotorua over the weekend, with the rider fleeing the scene, has died in hospital.The motorcyclist allegedly overtook a stationary vehicle and struck the 24-year-old pedestrian as he was crossing Edmund Rd in Mangakakahi at around 2.15pm on Sunday.Police said the rider then performed a U-turn, rode back towards the crossing, and fled the scene without stopping or checking on the victim.The pedestrian was airlifted to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition. Edmund Rd was closed while emergency services attended.Detective Sergeant Phil Wilkinson today said…
Published on 19/06/2025 – 17:15 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTUS tech giants Apple and Meta will not face sanctions immediately for failure to meet obligations under the EU’s digital rulebook, an EU spokesperson told Euronews.In April, the Commission fined Apple €500 million and Meta €200 million for non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and gave both companies 60 days to bring their practices in line with EU rules. That grace period ends on 26 June, after which they risk periodic penalty payments.According to the spokesperson, financial penalties will not be applied automatically but only after the Commission conducts a preliminary analysis and shares…
The Government has announced a fresh wave of sanctions against individuals and entities helping Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine, including Russia’s “shadow fleet”. The latest round of sanctions, announced by Foreign Minister Winston Peters today, targeted actors involved in Russia’s military-industrial complex and its supporters from North Korea, Iran, and Belarus. The new sanctions targeted a further 18 individuals and entities. “New Zealand must continue to hold Russia and its enablers accountable. Military support from actors in North Korea, Iran, and Belarus has helped Russia sustain its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” Peters said.The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds…
By Alessio Dell’Anna & Mert Can Yilmaz Published on 19/06/2025 – 15:00 GMT+2•Updated 15:07ADVERTISEMENTThe era of nuclear disarmament appears to have come to an end, experts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned this week.Amid widespread global tensions and regional conflicts, researchers say the number of nuclear weapons appears to have gone up in the past 12 months.The nuclear weapon stockpile is now estimated at 9,614 available warheads – 0.3% more compared to 2024. The total is 12,241, including retired warheads.”By the end of 2024 nuclear disarmament appeared more elusive than at any point since the end of the Cold War”,…
A man who worked with his public servant wife to fraudulently obtain $2.1 million from Oranga Tamariki has been given a sentence of home detention. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) filed charges of obtaining by deception and money laundering against Neha Sharma and her husband Amandeep Sharma in June 2023, while Neha also faced charges of using a forged document.Neha pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to three years imprisonment in May. Amandeep Sharma also pleaded guilty, and was today sentenced in the Christchurch High Court to 12 months’ home detention. As well as charges of obtaining by deception for fraudulently…
By Euronews with AP Published on 19/06/2025 – 15:14 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTRussian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is open to meeting with Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only during a “final stage” of negotiations. “I am even ready to meet him [Zelenskyy] but only if it is some kind of final stage, o as not to sit there and divide something endlessly, but to put an end to it” Putin said on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday.Putin said that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have agreed to hold another round of discussions after 22 June. Two rounds…
A coroner has taken aim at Runit competitions saying they should not be recognised as an official sport.Coroner Bruce Hesketh slated the competition as having “all the hallmarks of perilous activity that makes no attempt to mitigate head injury”.He made the comments in a finding into the death of 32-year-old Pāpāmoa man Tere Livingstone, who died from a severe head injury sustained in a tackle during a game of rugby league in June 2023.Livingstone suffered a concussion in an earlier, pre-season game on May 27 which he didn’t tell anyone in the team about. However, two days after he was…