Author: Press Room

Delta Utility Services chief executive Mike Costelloe has “stepped down” after seven years in the job. The company announced in a statement that Mr Costelloe had left the role on Monday, and would be departing Delta. Over his tenure, he had been instrumental in guiding Delta through various challenges and had earned the respect and admiration of employees, stakeholders and customers, it said. The board of directors had decided to implement this leadership change as part of “a strategic effort to better position Delta for future opportunities”. This transition would build upon the strong foundations established by Mr Costelloe and…

A person has died following a single-vehicle crash in the west of Palmerston North this afternoon. Emergency services were called to a crash on Gillespies Line in Cloverlea shortly after 1pm. “Sadly, the sole occupant of the vehicle died at the scene,” a police spokesperson said. Gillespies Line was closed between The Ramp and Flygers Line, and had since reopened. Serious Crash Unit was advised and circumstances of what happened would be investigated.

Irregular crossing of EU borders has decreased by over a third in 2024 so far. ADVERTISEMENTNGO ships rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea do not encourage departures, the European border guard agency Frontex director, Hans Leijtens, told Euronews.”You have never heard me saying that it’s a pull factor. So that’s what my opinion is”, he said at a doorstep in the European Parliament on Wednesday. “The first thing for our officers is to save lives on land and at sea. What we can do also depends on resources, but at least we always promise to do it,” Leijtens added. “I…

Qualified early childhood relief teachers could be paid the minimum wage from next month after the Government announced the requirement for higher pay rates for centres who opt into pay parity will soon be gone. The move has been hailed by some, while others express concern at what the impacts may be on a sector already struggling with staff shortages.Early Childhood Council president and early childhood centre owner Michelle Bosch said: “It’s been a brilliant decision, a sensible one and great to see that the Government’s trying to help us and get rid of some of this silliness that we…

Vladimir Putin has been accused of engineering the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission is calling on Mongolia to fulfill its obligations to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and place Vladimir Putin under arrest during his ongoing trip to the country.”Mongolia is a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC since 2002 with the legal obligations that it entails. We have raised our concern about the visit and stated our position of the ICC clearly via our delegation in Mongolia,” a Commission spokesperson said on Monday, referring to the treaty that underpins…

Emergency services have been kept busy this evening attending three separate incidents of pedestrians being struck by vehicles around the country. In Auckland, Puhinui Rd in Papatoetoe is closed after a pedestrian was struck by a car at 6.40pm. “The pedestrian was critically injured and has been transported to hospital,” a police spokesperson said. New Zealand Transport Agency said Puhinui Rd remained closed, and motorists were asked to follow the diversions in place The Serious Crash Unit is in attendance. In a separate incident, police officers in Hamilton responded to a report of a pedestrian being injured after being struck…

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has been urged to open a new chapter in EU food policy and overhaul the current CAP system in the process following recommendations of a reflection group. ADVERTISEMENTAnnounced by von der Leyen in last year’s State of the Union address, the strategic dialogue for the future of EU agriculture was conceived to cope with increasing polarisation in the agriculture and food policy debate.The group, gathering representatives from 29 farmers’ cooperatives, agribusinesses, NGOs, civil society, financial institutions, and academia, has worked for over seven months to produce a more than 100-page report crafting a vision…

Will the results from Saxony and Thuringia influence Germany’s energy transition and support for Ukraine? ADVERTISEMENTThe results of the two regional elections in Germany’s east have sent shockwaves through Europe. The victory in Thuringia for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) — a far-right party known for its relativism and ambiguity about Germany’s Nazi past — was met with horror and disbelief.The leader of the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament, Valérie Hayer, called it “unprecedented” and “a dark day” for Germany and Europe.”We shall not let Europe give in to racist, antisemitic, misogynist and homophobic movements,” Hayer said in…

A lamb burger created by Wellington restaurant One80 has won the Burger Wellington competition, the second year running that the Oriental Bay eatery has taken first place.The Nawabi Galouti burger, created by chef Chetan Pangam, contains a galouti lamb patty, pulled lamb shoulder filo cigar, lamb snow, ghee, coriander, mint labneh and chicory in a croissant bun with gunpowder podi fries.He said the dish was inspired by the story of a Nawab king in the 17th century who lost his teeth and was no longer able to eat meat off the bone. Galouti means “melt in the mouth”.”They had a…

The far-right AfD party alone won a third of the votes in two eastern German states on Sunday, as residents of Thuringia and Saxony begin to take stock of the results. ADVERTISEMENTAs the Alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrated its historical win, hundreds marched through the streets of Erfurt on Sunday night amid news that a far-right party has won a state election for the first time since Nazis ruled over Germany.Some Erfurt residents were too sceptical of the media to speak on camera but told Euronews that their votes were a “last resort”. Their main motivation for voting was safety…