Author: Press Room
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has had his first face to face encounter with US President Donald Trump at a leaders’ dinner hosted at the APEC Summit in South Korea. It is the first face to face meeting between the pair, but they have spoken on the phone once previously. President Donald Trump waits as New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon poses for a photo with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (Source: Associated Press)Trump and Luxon met briefly before the dinner began and came out together joking with one another — Trump telling Luxon in front of international media —…
The Netherlands voted on Wednesday in a parliamentary resulting in a too close to call result with rightwing frontman Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom (PPV) and rising progressive leader Rob Jetten of the D66, both getting 26 seats. The difference between the two parties, as of Thursday morning, with more than 98% of the votes counted, is just a mere 2.000 votes. It could take several days before the final result is confirmed. Here is what we know so far: 1. The (unexpected) rise of D66 D66 was projected to get only 17 seats, compared to the 26…
A global outage impacting Microsoft cloud products has disrupted some Air New Zealand systems this morning.Air New Zealand chief customer and digital officer Jeremy O’Brien said the outage was “affecting a number of our systems, including our ability to process payments and digitally process boarding”.”If you’re travelling today, please be aware our teams will be managing some processes manually, which may result in longer wait times and delays. We recommend customers keep a close eye on the AirNZ app or website for the latest updates on their flight and allow plenty of time at the airport.”We know this disruption is…
Is the average European worker’s dream to become a clerk in the Netherlands? There’s no study to prove it, but one thing’s clear: no other group of employees in Europe feels happier with their pay. Dutch administrative and support services workers have the lowest complaint rate about their pay, at only 14.5%, followed by Netherlands-based utility workers (like engineers, electricians, plumbers, waste management operators) at 17%, and Dutch civil servants with 23%. That’s according to a major study on 16,000 workers in 16 European countries and 15 working sectors by SD Worx, a pan-European HR firm. But the same can’t…
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including Luxon meets Trump, a big payday on the way for farmers, and a message in a bottle from World War 1 washes up. The Prime Minister and the President bantered on their way to an event. A new interactive tool has been launched for people to assess their risk of flooding as the planet warms. Fonterra’s deal to sell some famous brands should go through today. Drone footage of the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica has been released. A message in a bottle from two Australia soldiers in WWI has washed up…
Several police staff are under investigation, including an officer who has been stood down after inappropriate material was found on a police-issued device.It follows an audit of staff internet usage sparked by the resignation of former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.McSkimming faces eight charges of possessing objectionable publications, including child sexual exploitation and bestiality over a four-year period.Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers confirmed to RNZ a police officer had been stood down from duty for “inappropriate content on a police device”.”The officer is under employment investigation for serious misconduct, relating to inappropriate, but not objectionable, material on a Police-issued…
The Prime Minister has fired back at Chris Hipkins over what he says was an attack on his personal finances.Labour leader Chris Hipkins criticised Christopher Luxon on Wednesday for making hundreds of thousands of dollars – tax-free – in recent property sales.”Why should he be able to make more than $600,000 in one year from flipping properties whilst the people who go out and work hard every day for a living pay tax on every single dollar that they earn?”The Labour Party announced on Tuesday it would campaign on a capital gains tax on property, excluding the family home and…
A mechanic believes a look at the Warrant of Fitness system was “overdue”, but said Kiwis would need to change some of their habits for the proposed changes to work. Yesterday, the Government opened a series of proposed changes to transport law up for public consultation, with a shakeup to the frequency of WoF and CoF A checks among the ideas put forward. Under the proposed changes, the first WoF for new vehicles would last 4 years. Vehicles between four and 10 years old would need checks every two years, while those older than 10 would still need to get…
A woman killed in Pahīatua had expressed concerns in the weeks before her death about the behaviour of her son, who is now wanted in connection with the deadly assault.In messages obtained by RNZ she wrote to a relative her son was “so nasty at times”, and had recently been “having a go at people verbally” in the town.It can also be revealed her son, who is believed to have had a history with mental health services, was planning to leave the home on the day she died and take a bus to Rotorua.Karen Gilbert-Palmer, 74, was found dead at…
Council workers and contractors in Invercargill have been head down, doing “big work” to clean up the city’s parks after last week’s strong winds toppled and pulled trees from their roots. Invercargill was lashed by last week’s winds, which reached up to 120km/h, causing widespread destruction. The city is still under a local state of emergency, with all parks in Invercargill and Bluff closed until further notice. In Queens Park, crews have spent the last few days clearing fallen trees littered throughout the park that were blocking paths and making it unsafe for the public. Crews woking to clean fallen…