Author: Press Room
One of three young children who died following a Manawatū house fire over the weekend was aged just one, police say.The blaze broke out at a home in Sanson around 2.30pm on Saturday, prompting a significant emergency services response.The three children were identified in a Givealittle page as August, Hugo, and Goldie.Friends rally to support mother in wake of Sanson fire – Watch on TVNZ+Manawatū Area Commander Inspector Ross Grantham this afternoon confirmed the children were aged 7, 5 and 1 but they could not be formally identified at this stage.”This is a complex scene and we’re having to work…
The Supreme Court has dismissed Uber’s appeal against an earlier court ruling and has agreed four drivers who brought a case against the rideshare company are employees.Uber New Zealand – which has about 11,000 drivers – took its appeal all the way to the country’s top court to challenge a 2022 Employment Court decision.Today, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Uber’s appeal.The Supreme Court delivered its ruling on Uber’s contract practices today, leaving the door open for contract workers to claim they are employees. (Source: 1News)The ruling means, in certain circumstances and over time, contract workers with a sole employer can…
Published on 17/11/2025 – 13:45 GMT+1 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has dropped plans to join the hard-right Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament, a close aide and MEP Monika Benova told Euronews. Fico’s Smer party was expelled from the Party of Socialists and Democrats in October for “breaching the values” of the centre-left party family, a move which triggered speculation about a possible transfer to Patriots of Europe. Despite holding meetings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Fico no longer plans to join a different formation and is looking at creating his own. “Following my discussions with Prime…
A friend of a Dunedin man stabbed more than 40 times has described finding his unresponsive body soaked in blood.Gurjit Singh, 27, was found stabbed to death in what appeared to be an attempted decapitation on the lawn of his Dunedin home in January last year.The 35-year-old man accused of the murder, who is listed in court documents only as Rajinder, is on trial at the High Court at Dunedin.The defence has insisted Rajinder had no reason to kill his former employee and there was no animosity between the two men, but the Crown said Rajinder’s DNA was found throughout…
The Brazilian government has been accused of intentionally chopping down 100,000 Amazon trees in the northern state of Pará, as part of a plan to build a four-lane motorway close to the city of Belém, in order to facilitate access to the United Nations’ Climate Conference, COP30. While the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement has weakened collective momentum, the EU remains the world’s largest contributor to climate finance, with leaders and climate industry figures travelling to the event, which is taking place between 6 and 21 November. US President Donald Trump chimed in on these claims, purporting on…
Wedding bells are in Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ future after announcing his engagement today to partner Toni Grace.”I didn’t win the Powerball over the weekend but I did hit the jackpot,” he posted on Instagram on Monday afternoon. “Toni, every day with you is incredible. Through the ups and downs of politics, parenthood and life you are always so calm, optimistic and caring. You’re my rock, and I’m so excited about our life together. “There simply aren’t enough words to express how much I love you and how lucky I am you’ve agreed to marry me.”The 47-year-old Opposition leader included…
Published on 17/11/2025 – 14:41 GMT+1 •Updated 15:20 European Union countries should have “multiple guarantees” for their security to go alongside NATO’s Article 5, including by developing a “clear mechanism” on how the bloc’s own mutual defence clause works, Andrius Kubilius said on Monday. “We Lithuanians, we learnt in our history that it is better to have multiple guarantees for our security,” the European Commissioner said from Vilnius where he attended a conference entitled “Defending Baltics 2025: War Lessons from Ukraine”. “It will be good, next to NATO Article 5 guarantees, to have also European Union Article 42.7 guarantees with…
Police have confirmed a man has died at Auckland’s Takapuna Beach today after being pulled from the water unresponsive. Emergency services were called to the North Shore beach around midday after the man was seen unresponsive in the water and had been pulled onto the beach.Police and other emergency services provided medical attention, but it since been confirmed that he died. A police spokesperson said the man’s death will be referred to the coroner. Police also today confirmed that a man died after getting into trouble in the water at Riversdale in Wairarapa on Thursday afternoon.The man, aged in his…
Published on 17/11/2025 – 14:36 GMT+1 •Updated 14:36 The European Union has opened the final negotiation stretch for Albania to join the bloc. The Western Balkan country is expected to conclude accession talks by the end of 2027, putting it on become a member of the EU by 2030. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has injected momentum in negotiations calling it a geopolitical imperative. “Albania is the best example of the transformative power of enlargement,” European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos told reporters on Monday. “It shows that when you deliver, you progress”. According to the latest Commission’s…
The Prime Minister is giving a briefing to media after a meeting of Cabinet ministers in Wellington today, with an announcement of major changes to the clean car standard expected.The media conference comes after a week dominated by the scandal over former Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.Also on the political agenda has been a new leader and name for the Opportunity Party, formerly TOP, and the passing of the controversial Regulatory Standards Bill. The Congestion Charge Bill was passed in to law, as were the first steps towards replacing petrol tax with road user charges.