Author: Press Room

Authorities in Poland admitted that it was legally “unprecedented” for another European country to grant asylum to a fugitive wanted under a European Arrest Warrant. ADVERTISEMENTThe Hungarian government on Thursday granted political asylum to former Polish justice minister and current PiS lawmaker Marcin Romanowski, who is wanted in Poland for alleged corruption during his time as minister in the previous PiS government. Authorities in Poland have been looking for Romanowski since last week, after a Polish court approved a request for the lawmaker to be put in pre-trial detention. After a fruitless search, prosecutors issued a European Arrest Warrant for Romanowski…

Julian Lennon has had to have emergency skin cancer surgery.The 61-year-old singer – who is the son of late Beatles legend John Lennon and his first wife Cynthia – took to social media to reveal to his fans that he had been diagnosed with melanoma just before heading on a press tour and had to “urgently” head back from it to undergo an operation.He wrote on Instagram: “Well, here’s how this goes…”Before I flew to New York from Los Angeles, for ‘Good Morning America’, Sirius XM, iHeart Radio and My Fotografiska Q+A Book Signing Event, I went to see, as…

The roundabout exit to nowhere. What was going to go there and why didn’t it? Local Democracy reporter Linda Hall takes a look.There’s a roundabout in Hastings at the intersection of two busy arterial roads – Pakowhai and Evenden – which has an odd dead-end exit.Over a fence, there are two blocks of land side by side, 1411 and 1403 Pakowhai Rd, a 3-hectare site that, if it could ever be developed upon, would be highly sought after by commercial tenants.Title information indicates that the land is owned by Australian garden and homeware giant Bunnings.It purchased the land in 2010…

The attack came just hours after Vladimir Putin’s annual end-of-year speech, in which the Russian president dismissed the idea of a temporary truce in Ukraine, claiming it would only benefit the Ukrainians. ADVERTISEMENTA series of powerful explosions rocked Kyiv on Friday morning, causing widespread damage across multiple districts in Ukraine’s capital as air defences intercepted the incoming missiles, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.The strikes left debris in the Holosiivskyi, Solomianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Dniprovskyi districts, causing fires on rooftops and damaging vehicles. The Holosiivskyi district was the hardest hit, with missile debris damaging office buildings, gas pipelines, and civilian vehicles, local…

A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific Island nation earlier this week.The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from the Vanuatu government.The 7.3 magnitude quake struck on Tuesday, and more than 200 people were injured.People about to depart Vanuatu on a RNZAF Boeing 757 (Source: NZDF)The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said late last night that a flight carrying 93 passengers, almost all Kiwis and their families, had left Port Vila at about 7.45pm New Zealand time.”A small number…

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s expressive face has often led to her being romantically paired with other prominent global figures online, and her recent appearance with Elon Musk has prompted the emergence of “Muskloni” fans. ADVERTISEMENTA video circulating online appears to show Tesla CEO Elon Musk sharing a passionate embrace with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.The clip has been widely shared across social media platforms like X and Instagram, often with captions suggesting the pair’s affection for one another. One caption, for instance, reads “è amore,” meaning “it’s love” in Italian, which is often considered one of the most romantic…

Wellington City Council has agreed to hold off on demolishing the City to Sea bridge for now, following legal action from a lobby group.The council voted earlier this month to tear down the footbridge connecting the capital’s waterfront and Civic Square.A seismic assessment found the bridge was an earthquake risk – though some experts disagreed with that – and council staff deemed the $85m price tag for strengthening it too high.But the Wellington Civic Trust applied to the High Court in Wellington for a judicial review of the decision, after criticising the consultation process.The council had agreed not to do…

Tensions were high at Nelson City Council yesterday as the controversial plan that would allow Nelson Airport to extend its runway north was only narrowly approved.There were claims of intimidation by the mayor and half a dozen points of order were raised as elected members found themselves wedged between a legislative requirements and community opposition.The council delegated its responsibility for hearing submissions on the proposal to an independent panel of commissioners due to the council’s conflicting roles as a 50% shareholder of the airport and as the regulatory authority.Last week, the panel formally recommended to the council that the airport’s…

The installation of a rainbow crossing in Tauranga is bittersweet for the pride advocate who made it happen.The new zebra crossing was installed on Devonport Rd in the city centre on Wednesday flanked by the progress pride flag.LGBTQIA+ advocate Gordy Lockhart told Local Democracy Reporting he was unhappy that Tauranga City Council hadn’t held an opening ceremony for it.Lockhart campaigned for six years for the crossing and petitioned Tauranga City Council for one in April.The council’s community, transparency and engagement committee approved the crossing in September.Lockhart said he was so proud he had a lump in throat when he first…

A homicide investigation has been launched following the death of a man in the Napier CBD early on Wednesday morning.Police were called to the scene near the intersection of Emerson and Hastings streets around 3.15am on December 18, following a report of a person lying on the street.The man has today been formally named by police as Boy Taylor, 58, of Napier.A post mortem has been completed, confirming Taylor sustained injuries consistent with assault, Detective Inspector David de Lange said.”A large team of investigators are working on this investigation and would like to hear from anyone who has information that…