Author: Press Room

Tributes have poured in for musical powerhouse Quincy Jones following news of his death aged 91 yesterday.Jones — whose legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic Thriller album to writing award-winning film and television scores — helped shape the sound of jazz and pop over the course of his six-decade career.The estate of Michael Jackson said in a statement the world mourns the loss and celebrates the life of “legendary talent” Quincy Jones.”What Michael and he achieved over a decade-long partnership is unmatched, producing Off the Wall, Bad, and, of course, Thriller that remains the biggest selling album of all…

Police are launching a fresh appeal for public help to solve a cold case from more than 40 years ago.Simon Buis, 54, died in Auckland in 1980. His body was found at Gribblehirst Park outside the rugby club, in the early hours of April 4 that year.”He suffered horrific injuries to his face and head after being violently assaulted,” police said today.”Later that morning, two 15-year-olds were arrested for being in a stolen car, and indicated they were involved in a fight at a park.”The pair were charged with Simon’s murder. However, due to further review of evidence, they were…

Thousands of Georgian opposition supporters rallied in Tbilisi once again, demanding new parliamentary elections under international supervision and an investigation of alleged election fraud. ADVERTISEMENTThousands of opposition supporters rallied outside Georgia’s parliament for the second straight Monday to denounce the 26 October election as illegitimate. Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, was declared the winner amid allegations of vote-rigging helped by Russia.The protesters, who waved Georgian and European Union flags, demanded a new parliamentary election under international supervision and an investigation of the alleged ballot irregularities.Opposition leaders vowed to boycott sessions of parliament and hold regular protests until their demands are…

Students at the University of Canterbury affected by illness are concerned about the impact of the disruption on their exams.More than 100 students staying in the student accommodation have reported falling ill after eating a meal served on Sunday night. Residents at the hall who skipped the meal reportedly did not become ill.Troy Lewis told 1News many of his peers became sick after eating at the student accommodation.”We went to dinner at 5.10pm. I got both the chicken and beef option while some of my mates got only one. I woke up at 4am and had to rush to the…

Germany and the UK signed a significant defence treaty last week, but will it be enough to salvage NATO as Europe gears for a new change of US president this week? ADVERTISEMENTGerman and UK defence ministers Boris Pistorius and John Healey signed a major defence treaty last week, bolstering cooperation across land, sea, air, and deep precision strike capabilities between the two countries. The signing of the Trinity House Agreement binds Germany, France and the UK through bilateral treaties. Experts have been sounding the alarm for weeks that NATO and the security of Europe could enter a precarious position after…

Robert Zemeckis says he has pitched a Back to the Future musical movie to Universal Pictures — but the studio wasn’t interested.The 72-year-old director helmed the franchise from its 1985 debut to its conclusion five years later, and has now revealed he considered revisiting the series to make a musical version of the first film, though Universal has since shot that idea down.During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Zemeckis said: “I would like to do the Back to the Future: The Musical [movie]. I would love to do that, think that would be great. I floated that…

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will be closely watching tomorrow’s US election — and says it’s important New Zealand builds close ties with whoever wins, whether it’s Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump.American voters will cast their final votes tomorrow.Luxon said on Breakfast this morning: “I’m like everybody else, I can’t predict what the outcome will be.”But what I can say is that we need to be able to work with whoever the American people pick as their president and that administration.”When I was in the US in July for NATO, I actually spent quite a lot of time with…

Donald Trump has announced his intention to impose a general tariff of up to 20% on imported goods. While sectors like machinery, vehicles, and chemicals are expected to suffer the most, Spain fears its olive oil industry could take a significant hit. ADVERTISEMENTTrump’s plans to impose a blanket tariff on European imports are once again putting Spain’s market at risk, reigniting the long-standing struggle between the two countries over olive oil exports. A blanket tariff of 10% or 20% would make it more expensive for US companies to import goods, meaning that European exports could fall by up to a third…

Grilled by MEPs on the trade deal with Latin American countries, Slovakia’s Commissioner-designate defended a deal that would satisfy opponents demanding insurances for farmers and transparency. ADVERTISEMENTThe contentious EU-Mercosur free trade deal could be “concluded on very very fair ground,” Maroš Šefčovič said on Monday as he underwent his confirmation hearing to be the new European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security.Šefčovič, a long-running Commissioner, played it safe and stuck to the script as he answered over three hours of questions at the European Parliament.Grilled mainly by French MEPs over the Mercosur agreement, as France is the main opponent to…

A pedestrian out walking their dog in Levin yesterday afternoon has been seriously injured after being hit by a vehicle which left the scene. Police said the dog is yet to be found. In a statement, police said the crash involving a vehicle and pedestrian occurred on Heatherlea East Rd shortly before 5.30pm yesterday. The pedestrian was taken to hospital in a serious condition. “The vehicle left the scene prior to police arrival. Inquiries are ongoing to locate those involved and determine the circumstances of the crash,” a police spokesperson said. Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has information that…