Author: Press Room
Published on 10/06/2025 – 19:27 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday condemned what he described as Russian “terror against the civilian population” of Ukraine and urged the European Union to swiftly impose new sanctions on Moscow. Speaking alongside the Netherlands’ caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof in Berlin, Merz accused Russia of deliberately targeting non-military sites in its latest waves of strikes. The two met to discuss topics related to bilateral and European cooperation as well as international politics. Merz described recent attacks on Ukrainian residential areas as “the most serious war crimes” which were “anything but a proportionate response to the very precise…
They live together, go to school together and now they are in business together — naturally. St Hilda’s Collegiate boarders Ellie Templeton, Meg Miller, Greer Egan and Emi Martin, all 17, are taking part in the Young Enterprise Scheme. The business studies students have developed a 100% natural leather restoring balm which they are selling under the brand Nature’s Prime. With three from farming backgrounds, the group was passionate about promoting primary industries and finding an alternative use for products. They researched what leather conditioners were on the market and, while some had similar ingredients, none were made with all…
Two of the charges against a soldier accused of taking sexual videos without consent have been dropped.Corporal Manu Smith was facing a Court Martial on three counts of making intimate visual recordings under the Armed Forces Discipline Act.In a Court Martial, a military panel made a decision on the accused’s guilt or innocence.This morning, Justice Tom Gilbert, who was presiding over the court, advised the military panel that he had granted the defence’s request to drop two of the charges.The judge said the two charges were dismissed for legal reasons because, in light of the evidence, he ruled that a…
Another traffic calming chicane has been removed by vandals from a Tamahere road, near Hamilton, after residents complained it was an accident waiting to happen.Waikato District Council installed four chicanes to slow speed on Birchwood Lane, a once country road, but the backlash from residents was immediate and two were taken out anonymously just four days later.At a public meeting last week called by the council in response to the uproar, service delivery general manager Megan May admitted the reflector hipsticks that forced traffic into one-way points along the road were installed without community consultation based on six formal complaints…
By Oman Al Yahyai with AP Published on 10/06/2025 – 16:43 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTA 14-year-old pupil fatally stabbed a school staff member during a routine bag check on Tuesday at a middle school in eastern France, officials said. The teenager was arrested at the scene.The incident occurred at Françoise Dolto School in Nogent, near Dijon. A police officer assisting with the bag checks sustained minor injuries while apprehending the suspect, who used the same knife in both attacks, according to the National Gendarmerie.President Emmanuel Macron condemned the act as “senseless violence,” writing in a post on X: “While she was looking after our children in Nogent,…
Nearly 400 tips on excessive cones have been received on the Government’s new road cone “hotline” in its first week of operation.The initiative, via a form on the Worksafe website, launched last Tuesday to invite reported cases of overcompliance in temporary traffic management.”The hotline is part of a 12-month pilot, brought about by work health and safety reforms announced by the Government, to tackle over-compliance in temporary traffic management,” the health and safety regulator said.”The initiative aims to get those deploying cones to be more proportionate and balanced while maintaining worker and public safety.”On its first day, WorkSafe said it…
School students’ interest in technology subjects is declining across New Zealand, despite the job market being hungrier than ever for digitally skilled workers — especially in artificial intelligence.The latest NCEA data showed a 10.4% decrease in those taking up tech subjects such as computer science, programming, digital design, and electronics in Year 11.The trend emerged even as 92% of New Zealand jobs now required digital expertise, with a demand for AI, cloud computing, cyber security and data analysis skills on the rise.New Zealand’s AI industry was expected to hit $206 million this year.Potentia director of customer Julian Lambert said there…
The Government will strengthen its proposed law to criminalise stalking, including broadening the criteria to a longer timeframe.The Crime Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Bill would have sent stalkers to jail for five years if they committed three such acts within a year, that threshold now being lowered to two acts over two years.Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the Government had accepted the change as one of several recommended unanimously by the Select Committee in response to 608 written and 62 oral submissions.Changes to the bill include:Making the threshold two stalking or harassment acts within 24 months, rather than three…
A new Auckland initiative offering free dog desexing, vaccinations, and microchipping is being welcomed by the community.But local leaders warn digital barriers and deep-rooted mistrust of council officers could hold some families back from using the service.The pilot, rolled out by Auckland Council and the SPCA, targets 10 high-priority suburbs including Māngere, Ōtara, Manurewa and Mt Wellington, where incidents of roaming and unregistered dogs were highest.South Auckland resident Sam Tamatoa owned two dogs and said Pacific communities might not be aware of the pilot programme.“The visibility isn’t there,” Tamatoa said.“Our dogs are already microchipped and desexed, so we wouldn’t use…
A controversial “Trump of the North” mayor will not be standing for a second mayoral term.In a shock move, Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson today confirmed he would not be standing for the $138,441-a-year position in the October local election.Mangawhai’s Jepson, 67, was instead backing Kaipara District Council Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen, 54. Jepson appointed Larsen to the deputy role in October 2022.And Jepson – who has referred to himself as the Trump of the North – will be standing as a councillor in his Kaiwaka-Mangawhai ward. The position pays $68,719 annually.Jepson’s about turn comes after consistently indicating he would be…