Author: Press Room

Pope Francis departed Singapore on Friday – wrapping up his tour through Southeast Asia and Oceania, where he visited four countries and preached a message of religious tolerance and inclusivity. ADVERTISEMENTPope Francis departed one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world on Friday to end the longest trip of his career through Southeast Asia and Oceania. Wrapping up his visit to Singapore, the head of the Catholic Church praised the country’s tradition of interfaith and closed his four-nation trip with the same message of religious tolerance that he delivered at the start. Addressing a group of young people from the…

An Auckland primary and intermediate school has taken a novel approach to collectable cards by creating a designated “trading day” rather than banning them altogether.Woolworths released the Disney Worlds of Wonder cards last month. They feature Pixar, Marvel, Disney and Star Wars characters.Shoppers earn one pack of the three double-sided cards each time they spend $30 on groceries.Balmoral School principal Malcolm Milner told Breakfast the cards were “just one of those fads that has come through our school”.”Previously, we would have banned them,” he said.”We see younger children being exploited by cleverer students, exactly the same that you would see…

Opposition efforts to delay formal adoption of Slovenia’s Marta Kos as Commission nominee could impede the timing on the formation of the next EU executive. But the head of the Slovene EPP delegation has told Euronews that she’s an unacceptable choice. ADVERTISEMENTThe leader of the Slovene European People’s Party (EPP) delegation in the Parliament, Romana Tomc, has told Euronews that the country’s new Commissioner pick Marta Kos is “unacceptable”.Slovenia’s opposition, led by the conservative SDS party of former Prime Minister Janez Janša, has criticised liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob for yielding to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen by…

Police are investigating after a person was stabbed in Auckland’s Clendon Park last night. Officers received a report that a person had been injured outside an address on Roscommon Road shortly before 9.30pm. “A man had suffered a non-life-threatening injury that was consistent with a stab wound and was transported to hospital in a serious condition,” a police spokesperson said. No other people were found at the scene and police were working to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident, the spokesperson said.Anyone with information was urged to contact police online or by calling 105. 

Head of Slovenia’s European People’s Party (EPP) delegation told Euronews that the choice of Marta Kos is totally unacceptable to the European People’s Party to which she belongs, citing experience and alleged links to the former Yugoslav secret police. ADVERTISEMENTThe head of Slovenia’s European People’s Party (EPP) delegation in the European Parliament Romana Tomc has told Euronews that the country’s new nominee for commissioner Marta Kos is “completely unacceptable” and “problematic” for the EPP, the largest group in the Parliament.She expressed concerns about Kos’s lack of executive-level experience, which she believes is essential for the role of Commissioner.Tomc also mentioned past alleged associations between…

A Napier developer’s year-long bid to overturn a $96,000 penalty for several breaches involving 14 workers, including illegal employment agreements, has failed in the Employment Court.The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ruled in July last year that construction company MAH Enterprises must pay a penalty of $64,000 and its sole director Malcolm Herbert must pay a penalty of $32,000.The ruling followed a Labour Inspectorate investigation alleging Herbert and MAH had committed 42 breaches of employment law involving 10 migrant workers and four Kiwi employees.Breaches included a failure to keep wages and time records, holiday and leave records; a failure to provide…

Key points:The Government has laid out five major health targets, including shorter ED waits and quicker access to cancer treatmentIt has now set out how it says this will be achieved, including more beds in hospitals and more community chemotherapy accessLabour has previously called the targets “half-baked” and an “afterthought”The Health Minister has laid out the Government’s implementation plan for reaching its five health targets, which the Commissioner of Health NZ says can be achieved “within current resources”.Earlier this year, Dr Shane Reti laid out the five health targets, which aim to shorten stays in emergency departments, shorten wait times…

The arrests of two men who yelled and pulled the middle finger at police officers in Auckland’s CBD have been found to be “unjustified” and “unlawful” by the police watchdog.The use of force against the men was also found to be unjustified. One officer was charged with assault after the incident.The men, identified as “Mr Z” and “Mr X” in the report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, had been drinking on the evening of May 21, 2022.The pair were walking down Galway St when a police van entered the road as a crime prevention patrol.As the van passed, Mr…

The plug has been pulled on a Christchurch arcade and entertainment centre after it was placed into liquidation. The Oasis Virtual Reality & Entertainment Centre at The Palms went into liquidation on September 1, the liquidators’ report shows. The Oasis started out as a pop-up shop at the Shirley mall in 2021 before being fully opened in 2022. The report says company director James Astrop first met with liquidators in May this year to discuss the financial position of the business. It included a fully licensed bar and cafe, 18-hole mini golf course, racing simulators, virtual reality laser tag arena and…

University of Auckland students will soon be able to access menstrual pads for free through an initiative using product packaging for advertising in busy bathrooms. Ads on Pads founder Aditi Gorasia told 1News her passion for period equity began after hearing first-hand stories of young women struggling to access period products while working as the women’s rights officer at University of Auckland.”As part of that [association] we held a space where people could come in and rest, relax, but they could also come in and get free period products. “As they came in, they would often feel the need to…