Author: Press Room
Actor Prunella Scales, best known as acid-tongued Sybil Fawlty in the classic British sitcom Fawlty Towers, has died, her children said. She was 93 and had lived with dementia for many years.Scales’ sons, Samuel and Joseph West, said she died “peacefully at home in London”.“Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home,” her sons said. “She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.”Scales’ career included early roles in a 1952 television version of Pride and Prejudice and the 1954 film comedy Hobson’s Choice, followed by her…
Health New Zealand this afternoon is reporting one new case of measles in the Wellington region. This brings the total number of known cases nationwide to 11, with the latest cluster surrounding Wellington College and Wellington Girls’ College.Parents and caregivers of Wellington high school students are worried by an outbreak of measles, with thousands of close contacts identified and students in isolation.One case is linked to overseas travel, and seven are linked to a Bluebridge Ferry crossing on October 3.There are four cases in Wellington, one in Northland, two in Auckland, one in Taranaki, two in Manawatū and one in…
Criticism of the Government’s curriculum changes is growing, as it prepares to publish the remaining primary school learning areas today.In a series of open letters, maths education experts have expressed “deep concern”; dance, drama, music and visual arts teachers said they had been “dealt a significant blow”; and PE teachers asked to pause the release of their draft curriculum.Their letters were prompted by a recent rewrite of the maths curriculum that primary schools had been teaching since the start of the year, and by early indications of what would be in draft arts and health and physical education curriculums, scheduled…
A Cromwell organic Thai restaurant business, connected to a failed North Otago organic vegetable operation, has been placed in liquidation. Brenton Hunt, of Insolvency Matters, was appointed liquidator of Organic Thai2Go Ltd earlier this month after the company was placed in liquidation by special resolution of shareholders. In his first report, Mr Hunt said the company ceased trading on September 21, three years after it was incorporated. The reasons given for the insolvency included the main supplier of vegetables being placed in liquidation and steadily declining revenue. In June-July, staff members went on annual leave and working cashflow became constrained,…
A teenage survivor of domestic violence has braved snow, wind, and rain to complete a 300km run from Christchurch to Timaru and back again.Rhys Blissett broke down in tears when he crossed the finish line at Hagley Park after almost four days running. The 18-year-old wanted to raise awareness and funds for Women’s Refuge, an organisation that had supported his family throughout much of his life.Last year, Blissett did a round trip run from Rolleston to Ashburton to help other survivors, raising $16,000.Women’s Refuge received 50,000 referrals each year.Blissett told 1News that domestic violence towards women and children wasn’t talked…
Lithuania’s foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys has called on the European Union to deepen its sanctions against Belarus after a series of cigarette-smuggling balloon incursions into the country’s airspace. “We want to see not only solidarity (…) we want the sanctions regime (of the EU) to be strengthened against Belarus,” Budrys told Euronews’ interview programme ”12 minutes with…’ on Tuesday, adding that Brussels should move to specifically target Minsk’s aviation and banking sectors. He spoke hours after Lithuania temporarily closed its 680 km border with Belarus and ordered its military to shoot down intruding objects. It came after a raft of…
An embattled South Dunedin pub has landed in hot water once again due to a new owner’s run-ins with the law. The latest on-licence and off-licence applications for the St Kilda Tavern have been opposed by police, the medical officer of health delegate and the Dunedin City Council’s chief licensing inspector. Police opposed the applications by JV Bars Ltd for reasons including the suitability of the applicant. “One of the shareholders failed to disclose convictions and previous involvement with the police,” a report to Dunedin’s district licensing committee said. The inspector raised concerns that a 50% shareholder in the company,…
Nordic leaders have ruled out the idea of issuing common debt at the European Union level to provide a €140 billion reparations loan to Ukraine, insisting the money should come from immobilised Russian assets rather than national budgets. “I think, to be honest, it’s the only way forward and I really like the idea that Russia pays for the damages they have they have done and committed in Ukraine,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday. The project, known as a “reparations loan”, was blocked last week by Belgium, which holds the bulk of the frozen assets from the…
Police have identified two men they want to speak to in relation to a homicide investigation in Te Puke. Emergency services received of a person having been admitted to hospital with a critical gunshot wound about 10.30am on Saturday, October 25.The man, named today as 29-year-old Tristan Oakes, died in hospital after being critically injured when shot at his Te Puke home.Western Bay of Plenty Area Investigations Manager Detective Senior Sergeant Natalie Flowerdew-Brown said officers investigating the homicide have identified two men they wish to speak to in relation to Oakes’ death.”They are Kanan Clarke, aged 39, and Joseph Yorke,…
By Euronews Published on 28/10/2025 – 14:53 GMT+1 Social media users are sharing a video that seemingly shows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy and other Western leaders admitting to damning allegations that dogged their time in power. The video also features former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former US Presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. It is often shared with identical captions asking: “Do you ever wish Western leaders would be a bit more honest?” — a sweeping statement which points towards a disinformation sign. “Did I help bomb Libya…