Author: Press Room

Grammy award-winning artist Drake is heading back to New Zealand to play two shows early next year.The Canadian rapper announced the dates for his upcoming The Anita Max Win Tour – his first performances in the country since 2017.The tour will kick off in Australia on February 9 in Melbourne, followed by shows in Sydney and Brisbane.He will play two consecutive shows at Auckland’s Spark Arena on February 28 and March 1.The tour takes its name from a viral moment from Drake’s December 2023 livestream on Kick, where he introduced the “alter ego” Anita Max Win — a play on…

Two UK nationals are set to be deported for their involvement in a text phishing scam which police say “plagued Kiwis with millions of fraudulent messages”.Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton from the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit said the texts impersonated well-known and trusted organisations.Some victims lost between $10,000 and $100,000, he added.Alvin Agyeman Acheampong and Alexander Manfo, both nineteen, were sentenced in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday.Acheampong was sentenced to two years in prison on multiple charges for fraud offences committed during the scam. He was convicted on representative charges of accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose,…

The Valencian metro service, which serves an average of 7.5 million people monthly, remains paralysed nearly a month after the passage of Storm DANA. ADVERTISEMENTIt has been nearly a month since Storm DANA swept through Spain, severely impacting the community of Valencia. While the flooding barely affected the city’s underground network itself, it completely destroyed the command centre situated near Paiporta in Valencia Sud, paralysing the transport of an average of 7.5 million monthly passengers.Metrovalencia is currently working on a second command centre at Machado station, scheduled to begin test runs on 27 November.To address the situation in the interim,…

It’s looking like an early white Christmas at Tainui Reserve in Havelock North.But while some people love the scenery the aspen poplar trees provide when they drop their fluff, others say it’s making their lives miserable.Ann Christie, who lives in the direct path of the falling fluff, has been fighting to get something done about the trees for more than 30 years.When Local Democracy Reporting visited Ann in her home this week, all of her doors and windows were shut, and her air conditioning was switched off so it did not become clogged. Outside it was 25C.The fluff, described by…

The two cables, one running from Finland to Germany and the other from Lithuania to Sweden, were both damaged in Swedish waters last week, in an area where the Yi Peng 3 bulk carrier was seen. ADVERTISEMENTSweden has formally asked China to cooperate in explaining the recent rupture of two data cables on the Baltic Sea bed in an area where a China-flagged vessel had been sighted.Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said it was, “extremely important to find out exactly what happened.””Sweden has expressed our desire for the ship to move to Swedish waters…And of course, we expect also China to comply…

Police are appealing for information after one person died and 13 others were injured after a bus and two other vehicles collided on State Highway 1 near Tīrau.Emergency services were called to the crash at Piarere shortly after 2pm on Wednesday. One person died at the scene, two people were critically injured, and four others suffered serious injuries. Seven were moderately injured.Police confirmed yesterday a vehicle crossed the centreline, colliding with other vehicles.Now investigators want to hear from anyone who was travelling on SH1 between Hamilton and Tīrau who may have dashcam footage, or who witnessed incidents of dangerous driving.A…

Thousands of protesters flooded the streets surrounding the Georgian Parliament to voice their objection to the ruling party’s decision to suspend EU-accession talks. ADVERTISEMENTProtesters clashed with police in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi on Thursday after the government suspended talks on its bid to join the European Union for four years. The prime minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, of the Georgian Dream party announced the decision on Thursday in a press conference, stating the long sought after bid to join the bloc will not be on the agenda until the end of 2028.  The announcement came just hours after the European Parliament adopted a…

Former Ports of Auckland boss Tony Gibson has been found guilty of failing to comply with health and safety regulations, putting port workers at risk of death or serious injury. The 69-year-old appeared in court earlier this year on two charges related to the death of port worker Pala’amo Kalati in August 2020. The stevedore, a 31-year-old father of seven, was working a night shift when a container fell on top of him and killed him. A Maritime NZ investigation led to several charges being laid against the company and Gibson who was chief executive of Ports of Auckland (POAL)…

At a plenary session in Strasbourg, MEPs debated foreign interference and espionage by non-EU countries in European universities. ADVERTISEMENTUniversities are nerve centres of research and innovation, as well as spaces for debate and the exchange of knowledge. They are, however, also targets of foreign interference by third countries such as China, Russia and Iran, said MEPs during a plenary debate.”This topic, in terms of possible interference at the university level, is a blind spot for our policies. It is a proven fact there can be two types, either outright espionage when it comes to research, or influence,” Renew Europe MEP…

A Disney film sets a cinematic milestone, new hope for an endangered bird species, how a community saved a pod of whales, and the world record-breaking grandmother.Moana 2 makes wavesMoana 2 has become the first Disney film to be released simultaneously in both English and an Indigenous language — te reo Māori.Previously, translated versions of Disney movies were only released a year or more after the original.Piripi Taylor, who plays Maui in Moana 2 Reo Māori, said Disney recognises the power of the Māori language. (Source: 1News)The cast are feeling proud.Piripi Taylor, who plays Maui in Moana 2 Reo Māori,…