Author: Press Room
A foreign national has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison after attempting to smuggle 2kg of cocaine through Auckland International Airport, concealed in the lining of two suitcases, last year. The 29-year-old arrived at the airport from Santiago, Chile, on July 27, 2024.Customs officers noticed inconsistencies during an x-ray of the man’s luggage, leading to the discovery of approximately 2kg of cocaine – worth approximately $900,000 – concealed within the lining of both cases, Customs New Zealand said on social media. A suitcase concealing 2kg of cocaine. (Source: NZ Customs )The passenger appeared in the Manukau…
Dunedin wedding vendors are celebrating their successes at the recent Wedding Industry Awards New Zealand. Of the 33 categories, six were won by Dunedin entrants while Superhair0 Wanaka won outstanding wedding hair stylist. Dunedin winners included Lochend Woolshed (ceremony venue), Nicholls & Co Wedding and Events (hire specialist), Lemonpiecaravan (mobile boutique bar), Precinct Food (caterer), Loren Russell Makeup Artist (makeup artist) and Mel Foster (celebrant/officiant and MC). Rachel Nicholls, of Nicholls & Co, said she was “so proud” to represent the city and thrilled with the successes of the other vendors. It was her first time entering the awards and,…
Investigators have found a 24-year-old American aviation student who was reported missing.Investigators New Zealand said William Henry Johnston, who had been missing from Palmerston North for more than a week, had been located in Palmerston North this afternoon.”Following a tip received by Mike Gillam shortly after 4pm, the private investigation team successfully located William and facilitated his reunion with his mother.”The team extended their thanks to the New Zealand Police for their cooperation, and expressed gratitude to the public for their information and support throughout the search.
By Alice Tidey & Eleonora Vasques Published on 11/06/2025 – 17:01 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTA lack of updated map data is making the fight against wildfires in Europe inefficient, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a report on Wednesday.The report analyses how some member states use EU funds to prevent wildfires. While it acknowledges significant investments in prevention, the ECA notes that the data used are outdated and there is little monitoring of the actual impact of the spending.The report reviewed projects funded since 2014 through the European Structural and Investment Funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in Greece, Spain, Poland, and…
A soldier has been found guilty of taking intimate images of a woman without consent.Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment Corporal Manu Smith faced a court martial at Burnham Military Camp on one count of “intentionally or recklessly” making an intimate visual recording.A three-person military panel found Smith guilty of taking the images of the woman during sexual activity between August and December 2020.Two other charges against Smith were dropped on the second day of the hearing.During his summing up on Wednesday morning, Justice Tom Gilbert said the case was one of law, not of morals. He said the panel must…
Published on 11/06/2025 – 17:13 GMT+2•Updated 17:17ADVERTISEMENTPoland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has survived a vote of confidence in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, with 243 MPs voting in favour with 210 against.There were no abstentions.Tusk requested a vote of confidence in the wake of the loss of Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a close ally, to conservative Karol Nawrocki in the 1 June presidential runoff.Backed by US President Donald Trump, Nawrocki is set to replace outgoing President Andrzej Duda, another Law and Justice or PiS party-backed conservative who repeatedly blocked Tusk’s reform efforts.”Anyone who is ready to move forward with me, with…
More Qantas planes will fly through New Zealand and Australia skies when the airline shuts its intra-Asia carrier Jetstar Asia within months.The final Jetstar Asia fight would take off on July 31 and 500 Singapore-based workers will lose their jobs as Qantas Group sharpened its focus on Australian and New Zealand markets.There were no changes to any flights connecting Australian airports to destinations in Asia or changes to Jetstar Japan services.Some 13 Jetstar Asia Airbus A320 planes would eventually replace leased aircraft and older planes used in Australia and New Zealand, which the airline claimed would create 100 local jobs.In…
Coastal Taranaki has been hit by wild weather with reports of a tornado near the Cape Egmont lighthouse on Wednesday morning.MetService issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Taranaki region with scattered thunderstorms forecast to produce “a few small short-lived tornadoes” between noon and 6pm.The national weather authority confirmed the funnel cloud in the video was one of these tornadoes.”If any tornadoes do occur, they are expected be short-lived and very localised, but may cause damage to structures and vegetation. “MetService advises that, should severe weather approach or if you feel threatened, take shelter immediately.”Margaret Bolstad, who lived near the…
Published on 11/06/2025 – 14:03 GMT+2•Updated 15:18ADVERTISEMENTSerbian President Aleksandar Vučić is visiting Ukraine on Wednesday, in what marks his first ever trip to the country.During a one-day trip, Vučić is scheduled to take part in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Odesa, Serbia’s Presidential Office announced. According to Euronews’ European political sources, the Serbian president’s participation in the summit signals Serbia’s realignment with the EU regarding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Serbia has positioned itself as neutral when it comes to Russia’s war against Ukraine, but Vučić’s recent visit to Moscow for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day parade drew sharp criticism from…
Police have made a further appeal to the public as it continues its search for Elisabeth Nicholls, the 79-year-old living with dementia who went missing in Christchurch last week. Nicholls was reported missing after 6pm on Wednesday, June 4, after she was admitted to respite care at the Margaret Stoddart Retirement Village on Bartlett St in Riccarton.She was last seen on CCTV at the Chateau on the Park in Riccarton shortly before 8pm.She was wearing blue pants, a dark-coloured long-sleeved top, black shoes, and distinctive long grey hair.”We don’t know where she travelled to after the Chateau, and have not…