Author: Press Room

The third and final individual charged by the Serious Fraud Office after $3.5 million worth of Auckland construction contracts were allegedly awarded through bribery and corruption has been named.The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) filed charges in December 2023 against a former project manager and two associates, including corruption of an official, corrupt use of official information and obtaining by deception.In May, two of the three individuals who had charges filed against them were named as former project manager Daud Suryantyo and the former director of Trinity Construction Limited, Henry Rogo.The third defendant who also pleaded not guilty in June alongside…

Mobile network operators will be required to make it easier for consumers to compare coverage between providers, and to exit without penalty if they run into problems.The Commerce Commission’s changes require providers to produce standard coverage maps so consumers can compare options, which must be easy to find on their websites.The maps must be accessible within two clicks from the provider’s homepage.Telecommunications commissioner Tristan Gilbertson said too many consumers were not getting the coverage they expected.Mobile network operators were expected to work together to standardise their maps within 12 months, with regular progress reports.The maps would need to include coverage…

The 100,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine, manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, have been donated through HERA, the EU’s agency for health emergencies. ADVERTISEMENTThe first batch of mpox vaccines has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, three weeks after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency. The 100,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine, manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, have been donated by the European Union through HERA, the bloc’s agency for health emergencies. “This will be the first delivery of the vaccine to the country. The second delivery of around…

A microlight plane has crashed in a paddock in Kāikohe.Police said the incident occurred at about 3pm near SH12.”Fortunately, the sole occupant has been addressed as having moderate injuries.”Police said the Civil Aviation Authority had been notified.Hato Hone St John said one rapid response unit and one ambulance was sent to the scene.”One patient in a minor condition was assessed and treated at the scene.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, Fratelli d’Italia (FDI), says Fitto stood out among other Commissioner candidates. ADVERTISEMENTItaly has nominated its Minister for EU affairs, Raffaele Fitto, to be its next European commissioner.If on the one hand, Raffaele Fitto seems to be a good fit to serve as EU commissioner, on the other, he still has a long way to go before his appointment is confirmed. And the path is not without obstacles.The 55-year-old former lawmaker for the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) doesn’t lack the experience, having held high positions both in EU institutions and the Italian government. “I…

Kīngi Tuheitia has been laid to rest on Taupiri Maunga, alongside his mother and previous Māori monarchs.Following a moving Te Whakawahinga – raising up ceremony – where his daughter was named the eighth monarch, Kīngi Tuheitia, who died last Friday aged 69, was taken from Tūrangawaewae Marae to his resting place on the mountain.Crowds of people lined the streets as Kīngi Tuheitia was taken to the banks of the Waikato River, before a waka – Tātahi Ora – and others by its side took him and his daughter, Te Arikinui Kuīni Nga Wai Hono i te Po, about 10km along…

Spanish minister tipped for key role in the next EU executive says power grid expansion should be a core European project for the second von der Leyen Commission. ADVERTISEMENTMassively expanding Europe’s electricity grid will be “costly and…technically challenging” but absolutely essential for the transition away from fossil fuels, according to Spanish minister for ecological transition Teresa Ribera, who is tipped for a key role in the next European Commission.“Europe is probably the part of the world where the grids are most modern [but] we still need to invest a lot, almost to double the capacity [in a] very short time,”…

A Local Democracy Reporting story about rates rises to commercial properties on Wednesday has split views in the Whakatāne district.In the story published by 1News, retired businessman Clive Wickham claimed he wouldn’t look to invest anymore in the area after his bill soared.That prompted cries of “why should we care about this wealthy boomer’s rates increases” and led to comparisons with 57% rates rises some people in other parts of the country have seen.Some pointed out that the article failed to mention fluctuations in rates across previous years which had been favourable toward commercial property owners.Central to Wickham’s complaint was…

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron named Michel Barnier as the country’s new Prime minister. But will “Monsieur Brexit” be able to resolve France’s political deadlock? ADVERTISEMENTAfter a seven-week wait, Michel Barnier, the European Union’s Brexit negotiator and a veteran of the traditional right-wing party The Republicans (LR), was appointed as France’s new premier. Barnier now faces the complicated task of forming a government and surviving a confidence vote in parliament, currently divided into three blocs since Macron called for snap parliamentary elections in July. Although other potential candidate names were circulating these past days, by choosing the conservative figure, Macron…

Prominent New Zealand psychologist Nigel Latta says he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has up to 12 months to live.The 57-year-old author posted a video to social media this evening to announce the news. “About a month ago, I was having symptoms of what I thought was a peptic ulcer. I could eat hardly anything, feel really full and getting a really uncomfortable sort of full feeling in the back of my throat,” Latta said in the video. The TV personality said he went to his GP, who referred him to a gastroenterologist. An endoscopy was ordered, after…