Author: Press Room

The front page of an old edition of a defunct Portuguese newspaper has gone viral for allegedly showing an eerily accurate prediction by the late Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa that Lisbon would experience an earthquake on the day of his funeral. ADVERTISEMENTAn image of the front page of an old Portuguese newspaper is circulating on social media, claiming that Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, the late former president of FC Porto, predicted a tremor in Lisbon that occurred on the day of his funeral.It’s dated 30 July 2005 and quotes Pinto da Costa as saying: “Some people think the…

Cautious optimism is growing that Lake Hood can make it through the summer without an algal bloom.After back-to-back summers with algal bloom health warnings at the lake, the Ashburton District Council hoped the recent weather along with management of the man-made lake last year will hold off another health warning being put in place.Council’s infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said having plenty of water, circulation improvements, and mowing down the weed in the lake are all contributing to the hope the lake can avoid a third straight summer with an algal bloom notice.The Highbank Power Station being…

Singh was the most commonly registered family name for babies born in New Zealand in 2024, Minister for Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has revealed.It was the seventh consecutive year Singh had topped the list.Van Velden said 680 babies were given the name last year.Kaur followed closely in second place, with 630 babies. Smith was third, with 300 newborns sharing the surname last year.In 2014, Smith was the most common family name, which was followed closely by Wilson and Brown.Van Velden said: “New Zealand is a diverse country – and it’s great to see that reflected in our family name…

The head of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) delegation in the European Parliament, René Aust, is counting on at least 21% of the votes in Sunday’s general election, but played down suggestions it might leave Europe of Sovereign Nations for larger Patriots for Europe group ADVERTISEMENTThe far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is ready to enter a coalition after the national elections on Sunday, 23 February, its leading MEP René Aust told Euronews in an exclusive interview.While all German parties have committed to excluding any kind of cooperation with AfD through the so-called Brandmauer (firewall), Aust said the far-right party—currently…

SPCA has prosecuted a Te Kūiti woman for severely neglecting her dog who was found emaciated, dehydrated and suffering from extensive health issues two years ago.The owner of Sassy, a tan and white mixed-breed dog, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to failing to ensure her dog’s physical, health, and behavioural needs were met, by failing to provide proper and sufficient food, and failing to provide necessary veterinary treatment. Waitomo District Council animal control officers attended the woman’s property in August 2023 and found Sassy unresponsive inside a kennel and run filled with faeces and rubbish.”The condition Sassy was in…

A New Zealand-born and raised teenager who had never left the country but faced being deported has been offered a resident visa.Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk said he offered 18-year-old Daman Kumar the chance to stay in New Zealand following “careful consideration” of his last-ditch appeal.Kumar’s case drew nationwide attention after it emerged he faced deportation to India — a country he had never visited — due to his parents’ immigration status.His parents have lived in New Zealand for about two decades as overstayers. The 18-year-old’s sister, 22, has citizenship as she was born before changes to rules in 2006.Reacting…

A renewed Masterton dog policy will increase dog access in some public places and aims to reduce roaming and nuisance incidents.The proposed policy, which must be reviewed every five years, would be out for consultation until March 21.The draft policy received unanimous support from Masterton councillors on Wednesday.Amendments included designating Taranaki St’s park as off-leash to expand accessible dog exercise areas and address the demand for more off-leash areas in urban Masterton.The Taranaki St park had effective fencing and feedback indicated the area was already used off-leash without issues.The policy would also clarify on-leash requirements at the northern end of…

A teenager has been arrested for allegedly plotting an attack on a major railway station in Vienna. ADVERTISEMENTA 14-year-old Austrian supporter of the so-called Islamic State group was arrested on 10 February for allegedly planning an attack at a railway station in Vienna, authorities revealed Wednesday.The suspect, an Austrian national with Turkish roots, is said to have been radicalised online.He was detained after Austrian intelligence services were tipped off that he had posted stories and videos with Islamist extremist content on several TikTok profiles.Investigators found numerous extremist books as well as sketches of attacks with knives and machetes at a…

A North Dunedin petrol station has the first crypto ATM in the city — just do not ask its owner how it works. Chicago-based Coinflip has begun rolling out Bitcoin ATMs across Southland and Otago. It installed one at the Caltex petrol station in Great King St, North Dunedin, about three weeks ago. Another three ATMs have been installed in Invercargill and one in Queenstown. Caltex owner Stephen Pulley said he did not know much about the ATM. “I don’t know how it works. I’ve never been involved in Bitcoin. It’s out of my league, I’m too old for that.”…

The New Plymouth mayor has described compulsory changes to speed limits outside schools as “ideologically-driven nonsense” that will cost ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement and jeopardise child safety.The Government is requiring streets outside schools with permanent 30km/h speed limits revert to variable speed limits, allowing speeds of 50km/h outside pick-up and drop-off times by July 2026.Rural roads that were outside schools would be required to have variable speed limits of 60km/h or less.New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom told an extraordinary council meeting the move was baffling.”This is a bit of policy that is ideologically-driven nonsense. There is…