Author: Press Room

A plane transporting prisoners from Auckland to Christchurch was forced to turn around after one of those onboard damaged an interior window.Corrections said eight prisoners were being taken from Auckland Region Women’s Corrections facility on a chartered flight on Wednesday, when one of the passengers began behaving disorderly.She damaged an interior window, suffering a minor hand injury in the process.The prisoners were securely escorted back to prison after landing in Auckland.The facility’s general manager Tanya Yandall said the woman responsible for the damage will be charged with misconduct, and a full review of what happened will be carried out.”This behaviour…

Syria will have a new government as of 1 March, the country’s interim foreign minister announced earlier ADVERTISEMENTMultiple Western and Arab countries pledged to help rebuild Syria during a conference in Paris on Thursday. The goal of the conference organised by the French government is to facilitate Syria’s political transition following the fall of longtime president Bashar al-Assad. The Paris Conference is the third of its kind, after meetings in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, since the fall of Assad’s regime. One of the main outcomes of Thursday’s conference is the signing of a declaration that states the group of nations wants to work…

One person has died after a collision between a shared bike and a car in Martinborough this morning.Police said the crash occurred on Puruatanga Rd, between Regent St and Todds Rd, at around 10.45am.Nearby vineyard workers responded to the crash on road with a 100km/h speed limit. (Source: 1News)Inspector Brad Allen said the deceased was critically injured but died at the scene before they were able to be airlifted to hospital.”Three other people, also on the bike, suffered serious injuries.” “Police’s thoughts, aroha, and condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” Allen said.The crash occurred…

The suspect, who has been taken into custody, is a 24-year-old Afghanistan-born asylum seeker, according to authorities. ADVERTISEMENTAt least 28 people, including children, have been injured after a car crashed into a crowd near the central train station in Munich on Thursday. Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder has indicated that the incident was likely an attack, reigniting concerns about security some 10 days before the upcoming federal election. A police spokesperson said the car approached a demonstration organised by Verdi, one of Germany’s largest trade unions, from behind, overtook a police vehicle, and deliberately ploughed into the crowd.The driver, identified…

Conservation staff are “shocked and angered” by a report of two boaties taking dogs ashore on one of Coromandel’s pest-free conservation islands last weekend.Department of Conservation Coromandel operations manager Nick Kelly said the most recent incident occurred on Kawhitu/Stanley Island on February 8 and that it was witnessed by two members of the public who called DOC.The informants saw two people, believed to be from a 660 Haines Hunter boat, ashore on Kawhiu at around 1.30pm with two pet dogs.”To see people flagrantly disregard the rules and, in this case, walk right past a sign telling them they shouldn’t be…

After Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed to “immediately” start negotiations on Ukraine, Europe wonders if it will have a seat at the table. ADVERTISEMENTIt took an hour and a half to bulldoze three years of unity.With his “highly productive” phone call with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump has cast aside the West’s rules of procedure to propose himself as the sole intermediary who can possibly bring Russia and Ukraine to the table.”We have agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately,” Trump wrote on social media. The tone of his post was so flattering that the reader could not…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealand’s government and Reserve Bank realised too late that the economy was not as damaged by the Covid-19 pandemic as they had expected it to be, economists have told an economic forum at Waikato University. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner, Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen and ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley spoke to a panel on Thursday morning, where they were asked what lessons about monetary policy had emerged from the pandemic. Tuffley said the response to Covid had been a “grand experiment” here and around the world, as about a third of the…

International supermarket chains and local investors have expressed interest in entering the New Zealand grocery market, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Wills has said, as she aims to remove “unnecessary regulatory hurdles” that discourage new entrants. Willis made the comments today during a speech to the New Zealand Economics Forum. In her speech Willis discussed the 2022 Commerce Commission report on the country’s supermarket sector. The report found competition within the industry, which has a duopoly of Foodstuffs and Woolworths with a fringe of other retailers, was not working well for consumers.Willis said: “Competition between grocery retailers is muted, profits are…

The phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has stoked fears that Europe will be completely removed from the peace process. ADVERTISEMENTEuropean leaders hardened their tone on Thursday in reaction to the phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, reminding the American president that any peace settlement will require Europe’s involvement to work in practice.Wednesday’s call, in which the two leaders agreed to “immediately” start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, has gone down badly across the continent and raised fears that Europe would be completely removed from the nascent peace process.Securing a seat at the table…

Bianca Del Rio doesn’t just cross the line – she dances over it in six-inch stilettos, throws in a roast, and leaves audiences gasping for breath (or running away).Now, the RuPaul’s Drag Race season six winner and self-proclaimed “clown in a gown” is back in New Zealand, wrapping up her mammoth Dead Inside world tour with three final shows.In an exclusive chat with Seven Sharp, Bianca opens up about why she loves Kiwi audiences, her unfiltered take on Drag Race, and whether she’d ever step into RuPaul’s legendary heels.’You lot are sick—and I love it’ Bianca Del Rio attends The…