Author: Press Room

“There’s nothing for our kids and teenagers in this town.”This claim is regularly bandied about the Canterbury town of Ashburton, but local councillors are firing back at the accusations of boredom.District councillor Phill Hooper asked: “What more do they want?”He said there was plenty of activities for local youth and the onus is on them to “get off the couch and get amongst it”.”I’ve heard people suggesting that (the) council should provide a bowling alley, gaming arcade, and even Chipmunks.”This is not our role.”The first-term councillor said the past suggestions are all private enterprise options.”And I suggest there’s a good…

Police are determined to get justice for Baby Ru, one year to the day after the toddler died of his injuries in Wellington.Ruthless-Empire died in Hutt Hospital in Lower Hutt from severe head injuries just days before his second birthday.Police described the boy’s death as “violent”, and said his injuries could have come from a weapon, or through physical force such as slamming his head on a hard floor or table.Toddler Ruthless-Empire, known as Baby Ru, died in October. (Source: Ngatanahira Reremoana)While no arrests have been made, there are three persons of interest, and the detective in charge of the…

This article was originally published in German FPÖ’s controversial leader Hebert Kickl has “no coalition partners” according to reports from Vienna, with incumbent Chancellor Karl Nehammer asked to form the new government instead. ADVERTISEMENTIncumbent Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has been asked by the country’s president to form a new government, after the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) found itself with no coalition partners despite coming first in last month’s election. Typically, the president asks the leader of the strongest party to form a government, in this case FPÖ which won with 29% of the vote. The conservative People’s Party, led by Nehammer,…

Multiple crews were called to a fire at a property in Wellington’s Newtown last night. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was alerted to the fire on Daniell St at around 8.22pm. Four fire trucks, one ladder truck, a command unit and a truck with a breathing apparatus were sent to the scene. FENZ described the fire as “well involved” when crews arrived at the scene. Footage from the property this morning showed parts of the exterior were charred and melted guttering could be seen hanging from part of the roof. A FENZ spokesperson said all people who were at…

Spain’s Canary and Balearic islands top the list of EU regions with 83.2 and 61.7 million nights spent in 2023 by foreign tourists, while the Greek island of Zakyinthos and Croatia’s Istrian peninsula are those suffering the highest pressure compared to the number of residents. ADVERTISEMENTMallorca was the favourite destination by foreign tourists in 2023, according to new data released by Eurostat that considers the number of nights tourists spend in the location. Spain’s Balearic island tops the list of EU destinations with over 47 million nights.Second and third place can also be found in the southern European country —…

Police have charged a third person with the murder of a man who died in hospital after he was found injured on the side of a Waikato road following an alleged assault. Police also named the man as Darshak Narran, 43, from South Auckland. Narran was found critically injured early on Monday morning last week on Hampton Downs Rd in the vicinity of the racetrack near Whangamarino.He never regained consciousness and died at Auckland City Hospital on Thursday. A 23-year-old Papakura man will appear in the Manukau District Court tomorrow.Two men, aged 32 and 42, were earlier arrested and charged…

A cross-party compromise saw MEPs agree weak wording on the future of coal, oil and gas, but strong support for getting major polluters like China to contribute to a global support scheme for poorer nations, and sharp criticism of the choice of Azerbaijan as host country. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Parliament’s environment committee wants the EU to push for more major economies and polluters to contribute to a global climate adaptation fund at the COP29 summit next month, but showed little bite when it comes to exiting oil and gas.A central agenda point at the forthcoming Baku summit is the post-2025 new…

Lotto’s Powerball jackpot has hit $30 million for the fourth time this year — an “unprecedented” spell.A spokesperson called it a “record-breaking run for the nation’s lottery”.”Wednesday’s draw will see $30 million up for grabs once again, following three earlier big jackpot wins in April, June and August.”This is a streak we’ve never seen before in our history,” said head of corporate communications Will Hine.”It’s unprecedented for the Powerball jackpot to reach $30 million four times in a year. It’s previously happened twice in a year but never more than that.”It means 2024 has been an interesting year for those…

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said the authorities have clear evidence of malign interference and “fraud of unprecedented proportions” at the vote on October 20. With the presidential elections now going into the second round, what can the Kremlin do within the next 10 days to influence the vote? ADVERTISEMENTWhile Moldovans who went to the polling stations on Sunday opted for their country’s EU future by the slimmest of margins, the Kremlin — which has long been vying to bring the eastern European country under its sphere of influence — has hardly been deterred.If anything, Moldovan authorities have been adamant in their claims…

Crews will return at first light to continue battling a large vegetation fire in “environmentally significant” scrub and wetlands in northern Waikato.Eight helicopters, two fixed-wing aircraft and around 40 personnel have supported fire crews fighting the blaze off Island Block Rd near Meremere.Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) incident commander Mark Tinworth said the fire has a perimeter of 11km and has burned through around more than 520 hectares, including the Whangamarino wetlands.”It’s continuing to spread through the wetlands, but it’s not threatening any residential or commercial properties at present.”Tinworth said Island Block Rd was now closed to all except…