Author: Press Room

Leaders from nearly 30 countries and NATO and EU chiefs met in the French capital to discuss bolstering aid to Kyiv and deploying European troops to secure long-term peace. ADVERTISEMENT“Europe knows how to defend itself. We must prove it,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as European allies gathered in Paris on Thursday to discuss how to strengthen Kyiv’s hand as it pushes for a ceasefire with Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the leaders of nearly 30 countries as well as NATO and EU chiefs. The top leaders considered proposals to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in tandem with any peace…

A 27-year-old man has been charged following an alleged series of “indecent acts” aimed at lone female passengers on Wellington buses earlier this month.In a statement, a police spokesperson said officers received reports relating to several incidents in early March where a male passenger had “acted in a sexually inappropriate manner, specifically directing his unwanted behaviour towards lone female passengers”.”This behaviour obviously caused them distress and to feel unsafe,” the spokesperson said.Police launched an investigation and have identified, located and arrested the alleged offender without incident.He has been charged with multiple counts of performing indecent acts, and was due to…

A Russian cargo plane skidded off the runway when it was forced to make an emergency landing at a remote airstrip in Siberia.According to the Transport Prosecutor’s Office, the plane, which was carrying eight crew members, came off the runway on March 26 in Novy Urengoy after suffering a left landing gear issue.No injuries were reported during the incident, according to Reuters.The aftermath of the crash. (Source: Reuters)Transport officials published footage of the landing, which shows the plane tilting to one side once it hits the runway. It then veers off the runway, crashing into snow before finally stopping.According to…

Queenstown Lakes District Council has pushed on with an “emergency powers” proposal to discharge 12 million litres of treated wastewater into the Shotover River daily. The move comes after a concerned Queenstown councillor revealed the confidential plan after a behind closed doors workshop last Thursday. The Otago Regional Council confirmed to 1News it was today formally “notified by QLDC that they are considering the use of emergency works provisions under the Resource Management Act”.Around 75 residents protested against the council proposal yesterday along the Shotover River Bridge.One protester told 1News the move was a “disgrace”.At a media conference, QLDC’s property…

Trains are running as normal to and from Wellington Station following disruption caused by a power supply failure, KiwiRail says.Services were suspended after 6am after signals around the station stopped working, preventing trains coming and going. They resumed later in the morning, but not before causing widespread disruption for commuters. It affected the Kapiti, Melling, Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Johnsonville lines. Central Railway Station lost electricity, leading to commuter chaos in the morning. (Source: 1News)In a statement this afternoon, KiwiRail said the fault was caused by a power supply failure “which we are investigating”. “It appears to be due to…

A Rotorua man who kicked his dog in the ribcage before punching it in the head and throwing it on the ground has been sentenced to community service.The SPCA said the man was prosecuted after severely mistreating his black crossbreed dog, Bubby, during a series of violent outbursts in January last year.It said the man became aggressive when they approached another dog and its owner at the Whakarewarewa Forest Park in Rotorua on 3 January 2024.”He struck Bubby with an open hand, causing the dog to vocalise and stiffen. He then kicked Bubby in the ribcage before continuing to walk…

A Canadian woman has been sentenced following a serious crash near Taupō over the weekend, which has left some of those injured facing “many months” of recovery.Renee Kelly Vanry, from West Vancouver, appeared in the Tauranga District Court today.The 57-year-old was sentenced on four charges of careless driving causing injury, relating to the serious injuries four of her passengers sustained, and another charge of reckless driving relating to the overtaking manoeuvre which caused the crash, police said.Police were called the two-vehicle collision at about 10.30am on Sunday March 23 on State Highway 5, in Rangitaiki.Vanry was the driver of a…

A new senior official with oversight of the country’s public health services has been appointed. Dr Corina Grey has been appointed as the new Director of Public Health, following the resignation of Nicholas Jones last month. In February, the Ministry of Health confirmed that Dr Nicholas Jones would step down from the role at the end of the month.It came among widespread upheaval in the wider public health sector.The Director of Public Health is a statutory role providing public health leadership across the Public Health Agency, within the Ministry of Health, and the National Public Health Service within Health NZ.Deputy-Director…

A 21-year-old man has been charged with murdering a man who was found dead on a doorstep in Kawerau last month.Police were called to a property on Onslow St at 8.45am on February 26 after a body was found at the front of an address.A homicide investigation had been ongoing since and, today, police arrested a 21-year-old man.He would be appearing in the Hamilton District Court tomorrow, facing one count of murder.”We are pleased to have been able to arrest someone in relation to this tragic incident,” Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson said.”We would also like to thank those members…

Kaikōura’s mayor hopes proposed changes to the town’s parking rules will reduce “rude behaviour”.The Kaikōura District Council approved a new draft traffic and parking bylaw for consultation at a council meeting on Wednesday, March 26.Mayor Craig Mackle said the new rules would allow cars to park on grass verges, provided permission is obtained to park in front of someone’s property.The new rules should take away “rude behaviour”, he said.The proposed bylaw is more of “a tidy up” of the existing bylaw, which was adopted in 2018.Changes to the bylaw are aimed at addressing parking on grass berms and vehicles displaying…