Author: Press Room

The EU’s upcoming budget (2028-34) should be simpler and more flexible, but regional and local authorities must remain involved, Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, a member of the Committee of the Regions, told members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels on Monday. ADVERTISEMENTA representative of Europe’s regions raised concerns about an EU Commission draft plan to centralise €1.2 trillion of the next bloc’s budget in the hands of member states during a discussion with MEPs in the budget committee on Monday.Negotiations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)—the seven-year plan that sets limits on EU spending—are expected to begin in summer 2025.…

Two people have died after a crash involving a truck and a bus which wasn’t carrying any passengers near Marton this morning.Emergency services said the crash was reported at around 8.50am.”It occurred under a rail bridge between Wings Line and Calico Line,” a police spokesperson said.”The drivers were the sole occupants of the vehicles.”Police said the two-vehicle crash which has blocked State Highway 1 was reported at around 8.50am. (Source: 1News)”Police are providing support to their families.”The serious crash unit carried out a scene examination and both vehicles will be inspected by the commercial vehicle safety team, police said.”Inquiries to…

Police are investigating a “sudden death” in Christchurch’s New Brighton last night.Emergency services responded to a report of a person critically injured at around 7.20pm.The person was taken to hospital but died some time later, a police spokesperson said.”As this stage, the circumstances around the death are being treated as unexplained and police are making enquiries into the circumstances.”A scene examination is also being conducted at the property and the public can expect to see an increased police presence in the area.”

A group of German intelligence officials warned the Bundestag against Russia’s “aggressive actions,” with the conflict having the potential to spill out into NATO countries. ADVERTISEMENTRussia could “carry out an attack” against NATO by the end of the decade, German Federal Intelligence Service President Bruno Kahl said.Kahl made the remark at an annual hearing of the Bundestag’s Control Committee in Berlin on Monday, saying that “whether we like it or not, we are in a direct conflict with Russia.”He said Russian President Vladimir Putin “declared his enemy long ago” and that “direct military conflict with NATO (is) becoming an option…

Five people were rescued on Mount Taranaki in one day over the weekend, prompting a warning from police for trampers to take more care.The rescues spanned three separate incidents.”Police are reminding anyone planning an adventure outdoors to plan for the worst,” a spokesperson said.The first call for help came at about 4am on Saturday, police said. “Police were notified of three people stuck on the mountain at an altitude of 2300 metres,” Sergeant Wade Callander said. “Time was of the essence to reach them as the temperature was in the negatives with wind gusts of 40-50km/h.”By the time the trio…

A multimillionaire couple’s application for a helipad bordering Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour will now be “publicly notified” after an outcry from their neighbours, meaning opponents will get to have their say.In April, Anna Mowbray — the co-founder of toy company Zuru — and former All Black Ali Williams submitted a revised application to land a helicopter at their Rawene Ave property in Westmere, and with their own environmental impact assessments requested it go ahead without a public hearing.Neighbours — many with the group Quiet Sky Waitematā — were outraged concerns about the consent would not be formally heard, including the safety…

A New Plymouth restaurant business and its two directors have been fined for “egregious” breaches of minimum employment standards – including demanding one worker pay a premium of almost $17,000 for their job.Dilkhush Pvt Limited – which traded as Area 41 Restaurant and Bar – and its directors Jaswant Singh Dham and Pushkar Tunnare have been ordered by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) to pay more than $86,500 total in wages, arrears and penalties.The Labour Inspectorate launched its investigation in August 2021, after a worker complained he was made to pay for his job at the restaurant.”During the investigation, the…

A man involved in one of New Zealand’s worst miscarriages of justice, Stephen Stone, has been released on bail after spending more than two decades in prison.His lawyer Annabel Maxwell-Scott said it was a “huge moment” for her client.“Twenty-six years in custody for a crime he’s always said he hasn’t committed. The world is a very different place from 1999, so it’s going to be an awful adjustment for him. But we’re very pleased this moment has come, we’re sad it’s taken so long, but we’re here now.”She said the first thing Stone plans to do is have “a big…

The European Commission has signalled a willingness to offshore migration procedures, echoing growing calls from member states. ADVERTISEMENTUrsula von der Leyen has offered her strongest endorsement yet to the controversial project of establishing so-called “return hubs” outside the European Union territory to transfer asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected.The idea was reflected in a letter the European Commission president sent to EU leaders ahead of a two-day summit in Brussels where migration is set to dominate talks.The seven-page letter, shared with the media on Monday evening, outlines several proposals to curb the number of asylum applications, which reached 1,140,000…

A week-long hīkoi in support of Te Tiriti o Waitangi has been announced for November by the group Toitū Te Tiriti.Over the course of nine days, the hīkoi will march from Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga), to Kaitāia, Whangārei, across the Auckland Harbour Bridge to Bastion Point, Huntly, Hamilton, Rotorua, Hastings, Palmerston North and Porirua. On November 19, it will march on to Parliament.Organiser Eru Kapa-Kingi said, as the name Toitū Te Tiriti suggests, the hīkoi is in support of the enduring kaupapa of the treaty.“It’s a movement of liberation and a message of empowerment, and that’s what we’re carrying…