Author: Press Room
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit from a music producer who accused the music mogul of a broad pattern of sexual abuse and other misconduct.The lawsuit filed in February by Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones — one of many filed against Combs in the past year — is overrun with “tall tales,” “lurid theatrics,” “legally meaningless allegations” and “blatant falsehoods” whose intent is only to “generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement,” according to the motion to dismiss filed in federal court in New York.The case fails to establish that Jones has…
Police probing the death of a man in Auckland’s Blockhouse Bay yesterday are “urgently” appealing to the public for help as an alleged killer remains at large.A scene examination was continuing in “Operation Elba” today following the alleged “murder” at about 11.30am yesterday, police said.Emergency services were called to the incident where a man was reportedly injured by another person on Rathlin St — at the entrance to the Blockhouse Bay Recreation Reserve and the Blockhouse Bay Tennis Club.Arriving officers found the man with life-threatening injuries, who later died at the scene.Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said police were still looking…
Sports fever is not over in the French capital, and is expected to be kicked into high gear with the 2024 Paris Paralympics. ADVERTISEMENTA dozen torches travelled through a dozen towns in France on Monday before the start of the Olympics Games scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 8.A thousand torchbearers will take turns carrying the flame throughout the European country, before it arrives at its final destination on Wednesday.French athlete and torchbearer Axel Allétru said he has “dreamed” and watched the Games. “Being able to carry the flame was huge,” he said, adding, “to be able…
One person has been killed and another injured in a crash near Whanganui overnight.Emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash on State Highway 3, closest to Pākaraka, at about 12.30am.One person was taken to hospital with serious to moderate injuries, according to police.”The serious crash unit has completed a scene examination, and enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.”Pākaraka is 20km northwest of Whanganui.
Telegram is widely used by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, and the platform is strictly regulated by the Kremlin. ADVERTISEMENTPavel Durov’s arrest could complicate Russian military plans in Ukraine.Telegram is very popular among Russian speakers and plays a crucial role in the war in Ukraine, both for the operations on the gorund and for the spreading of Moscow’s narrative.According to the Institute for the Study of War, it is “the main alternative to official communications for Russian military personnel in Ukraine”.As Christine Dugoin-Clément, a researcher at the Sorbonne Business School, explained to Euronews: “It’s not just a news source,…
Central Otago’s latest gold mine could be operational by November after getting the tick from councils after a drawn-out application process. There has been a mixed reaction in the Millers Flat community after Hawkeswood Mining received approval to operate an alluvial gold mine near the Central Otago village. In a decision released on Friday, independent commissioners Louise Taylor (chairwoman), Ros Day-Cleavin and Craig Welsh approved resource consents from the Central Otago District and Otago Regional Councils. Company director Andrew Hawkeswood said he was eager to get on with gold-mining. “It’s been a long time coming.” Dewatering was expected to begin…
Key pointsLocal Government Minister Simeon Brown has been questioned about his call on councils to spend less on “nice-to-haves” and more on basics like roads and pipes.Speaking to Q+A, Brown said councils needed to go through budgets “line by line”, but hesitated to comment on specific examples of spending in his own electorate.Critics have questioned what the Government counts as a “nice-to-have” and say it is taking decision-making power away from local communities. What counts as a “must have” versus a “nice to have”? That’s the question put to Local Government Minister Simeon Brown as he signals a clampdown on…
Billionaire founder and chief executive of the Telegram messaging app Pavel Durov was arrested at an airport outside of Paris on Saturday evening as part of an investigation into moderation of criminal activity on the platform, French media reports.Telegram is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union and is ranked as one of the world’s major social media platforms.Russian-born Durov founded the service in 2013 and later left Russia after he refused to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform in 2014.TF1 and BFM reported Durov…
Central Otago’s Kate Scott has been appointed Horticulture New Zealand’s new chief executive. Ms Scott, who has been working in agribusiness for 20 years, has significant experience in resource management, environmental policy and planning and stakeholder engagement. She is executive director of environmental consultancy Landpro, chair of the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust and deputy chair of Thriving Southland. She was a Nuffield scholar in 2018 and a recipient of the Rabobank Australasian Emerging Leader award last year. In a statement, HortNZ chairman Barry O’Neil described Ms Scott as a strong and effective leader, a collaborative relationship builder and a…
The film We Were Dangerous follows a trio of delinquent girls determined to fight against New Zealand’s state care system in the 1950s. Director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu’s father is a survivor of state care in schools in New Zealand having attended Owairaka Boys Home. “As a result, I have seen the impacts of these schools in my own family, and with my personal relationship to my cultural identity,” she said. The release of the film is timely as in late July, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in state and faith-based care in New Zealand was released. The report…