Author: Press Room

Murder-accused Philip Polkinghorne appeared distressed, emotional and was crying as emails by his late wife were read out in his trial this afternoon.Warning: This article contains content that could be disturbing to some people.The retired eye surgeon denies killing his wife and making it look like a suicide at Easter 2021.His defence is he woke to find Pauline Hanna, 63, already dead in their home in Auckland’s Remuera.He called 111 to say that she hanged herself.But the Crown has maintained from the trial’s outset that a suicide does not add up.Emails and other contents from his and Hanna’s phones and…

Lakes and rivers across Europe are drying up as the hottest summer on record comes to an end. In Poland and Bosnia, this has caused critically low water levels. ADVERTISEMENTEurope is emerging from what European climate service Copernicus says was the hottest summer ever recorded. From Poland to Bosnia, this has also brought record drought.Bakir Krajinovic, a climate scientist from Bosnia’s Hydrometeorological Institute says the summer of 2024 in the Balkans was the hottest since measurements started more than 130 years ago. Long periods with temperatures above 30 C (86 F) that didn’t fall below 20 C (68 F) overnight…

The spring buds are beginning to bloom, the winter jackets are finding their way back into the wardrobe and the mercury levels are rising for start of the warmer season.With spring in swing, it’s time to whip out the salad bowl and take advantage of the fresh produce such as asparagus, rocket lettuce and fresh herbs making their way onto supermarket shelves.Rosa and Margo Flanagan founders of the Two Raw Sisters have released the ultimate salad recipe book, More Salad, just in time for the BBQ season.The all-year round recipe book includes ingredient swaps at the bottom of each recipe…

Woolworths staff around the country have walked out on the job today to call for the living wage and safe staffing. Some staff from nearly 200 Woolworths stores walked off the job at midday for a two-hour strike after two weeks of negotiations with the supermarket giant stalled. “The company has always claimed it’s one of the best payers in the market — that is no longer the case,” FIRST Union national secretary for retail and finance, Rudd Hughes, told 1News.”We know Costco, we know Kmart pay better than they do.”The company is coming to us and saying it’s not…

This article was originally published in Spanish Former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González has fled into exile after being granted asylum in Spain, delivering a major blow to millions who placed their hopes in his upstart campaign to end two decades of single-party rule. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union must take a “leading role” following the exile of Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González to Spain, argues Venezuelan journalist and opposition activist Carla Angola. González, who won the 28 July elections in Venezuela according to results presented by the opposition, has been granted asylum in Spain.Venezuela has been embroiled in a deep political…

A Tauranga man has been sentenced to seven months home detention and granted permanent name suppression after pleading guilty to two representative charges relating to knowingly possessing objectionable material depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.Investigators from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) digital child exploitation team were alerted by foreign law enforcement to a New Zealand-based individual making claims of abusing children and having access to child sexual abuse material. The man was identified as the potential perpetrator through the investigation, and a search of his home was carried out.Investigators then located and seized multiple electronic devices. After…

Hundreds of people are set to lose their jobs after one of the central North Island’s biggest employers made the call to shut two of its mills. Ruapehu District Mayor Weston Kirton has confirmed Winstone Pulp International will be closing its two central North Island mills due to unsustainable energy prices. For the past few weeks Winstone had been meeting with energy company Mercury and government ministers to try and find a way to stay open. About 230 jobs will be lost. A petition was launched last week to save the mill, fearing nearby communities would turn into ghost towns, Winstone being…

Delayed reforms to the Reserve Bank have hit another roadblock, as the opposition rejects concessions put forth by the federal government.Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor remains unsatisfied with Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ olive branch, saying there’s still potential for the new interest rate setting board to be stacked with Labor appointees.Recommendations from a review of the RBA in 2023 called for a dual-board structure, one for setting interest rates and a separate one for governance.To allay Mr Taylor’s concerns of a “sack and stack strategy”, Dr Chalmers said all existing board members would go on to the interest rate board unless they…

A 916.67% investment gain in one year might be difficult to get your head around — but it is the best annual share performance of any company listed on the NZX in the last 10 years.The New Zealand stock exchange has provided data showing the most significant on-year movements over the past decade.The data assumes net dividends are reinvested and adjusts for capital events.Pacific Edge’s share price increased 916.67% in 2020. It started the year at 12c and ended it at $1.22.It has since fallen away again, to 10c.”It’s important to look at everything in context,” Devon Funds head of…

This week’s Good Sort is a man living with multiple sclerosis (MS) who is all about defying expectations and helping others to do the same.MS is a condition that happens when the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord. It is currently estimated to affect 4000 Kiwis. Grahame Walker was told upon diagnosis roughly 12 years ago that he would die with it, not of it.”You can’t get rid of it, there’s no cure, but it doesn’t kill you,” he said.Walker is an avid biker and cycles 20km most days.He said when he was initially diagnosed, he wanted to…