Author: Press Room

After a police shooting of a Cape Verdean man in Lisbon, a Left Bloc politician called for accountability of Portugal’s police force management if statements are proven to be untrue. ADVERTISEMENTFormer Portuguese MEP Paulo Portas has claimed that a member of the left-wing populist Left Bloc party, Fabian Figueiredo, called for an end to Portugal’s police force.This viral TV comment came after Figueiredo called for accountability following the police shooting of a Cape Verde-born Portuguese resident, triggering a wave of unrest around Lisbon.“Today, I heard a member of the Left Bloc saying ‘We have to rethink the continuity of the…

Modern-day living is out of control. That is the belief of Lee Tan, the woman behind Well+Being, a wellbeing business in Dunedin which recently bagged a handful of awards at the Spa & Wellness Awards (Asia Pacific) in Australia. Well+Being was named best urban wellness centre and runner-up in the best holistic health spa, while Ms Tan was wellness warrior of the year runner-up. Awards might be all very well and good but Ms Tan said the success was not about personal accolades but bringing awareness to her ultimate cause, which was helping people reduce chronic illness. The health system…

A court has heard that, a year before Yanfei Bao’s body was found on a rural property in Christchurch, the owner of the land had followed strange car tracks across his yard to the exact same spot. Farm owner Craig Eggleston has given evidence at the murder trial of Tingjun Cao, that he saw an unknown vehicle leaving his property just after 5pm on July 19 last year.Speaking at the High Court in Christchurch, he said was working on his digger at the time. He admitted he couldn’t see the occupants of the car, the make or model, but described…

Otago-Southland’s coffers were boosted by $156million from cruise tourism last financial year — the second-highest figure of the 21 ports and destinations visited in New Zealand. Two industry bodies — Cruise Lines International Association and the New Zealand Cruise Association — commissioned the economic impact assessment to provide the first comprehensive picture of the country’s cruise economy. The findings, released yesterday, showed direct spending by passengers, crew and cruise lines reached $637million nationally with an indirect benefit of $729.2million. Auckland received the biggest piece of the pie, $604.7million injected into the region and 4184 jobs supported, while Otago was a…

Recent data suggests a weak heating trend is underway at Mt Ruapehu’s crater lake after it reached its lowest temperature in 54 years earlier this month.The risk of eruption at the 2797m stratovolcano remains “low” as the temperature of the lake, known as Te Wai ā-moe, increased from 8C to a daily average of 10-11C — still considered a low temperature.GNS Science said the Volcanic Alert Level remains at 1 and the Aviation Colour Code remains Green.Duty volcanologist Mike Rosenburg said the amount of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and volcanic tremor also declined during this cooling period. This was consistent with…

A driver died in Rotorua this morning after fleeing police and crashing into another vehicle. At around 11.30am, a vehicle of interest was identified by officers on Haupapa Street. Police signalled for the vehicle to stop, but the driver failed to do so and drove off. Police initiated a pursuit but a short time later, the vehicle collided with another.”Despite efforts of emergency services, the driver of the fleeing vehicle died at the scene,” police said. “The passenger of the vehicle received minor injuries and was transported to Rotorua Hospital.” Two occupants of the other vehicle sustained moderate injuries and…

A High Court judge has ruled the descendants of customary Māori landowners in Nelson are entitled to Crown land and compensation in the country’s oldest property dispute case. The case, known as the Nelson Tenths, dates back to 1845 when Nelson was established. The New Zealand Company purchased around 151,000 acres of land but agreed that 10% be set aside for the Māori landowners, plus areas of cultural significance wouldn’t be touched. But that didn’t happen and the landowners ended up with significantly less than what was promised. While the extensive judgement from Justice Rebecca Edwards found largely in favour…

Yan Petrovsky, also known as Voislav Toden, is charged with fighting against Ukrainian forces as part of the neo-Nazi Russian unit, Rusich. ADVERTISEMENTA Russian combatant who fought in Ukraine in 2014 has been charged with alleged war crimes by prosecutors in Finland. Yan Petrovsky, who is also known as Voislav Toden, will stand trial in Helsinki for five suspected war crimes, said Finland’s National Prosecution Authority. The suspect — who has been in custody in Finland since entering the Nordic country in July 2023 — denies involvement in the crimes. Petrovsky has been under EU and US sanctions since 2022…

Halloween is here — but the scariest monster in Napier has been lurking underground all this time.The “rag monster” was found by Napier City Council in its wastewater network this month, while updates to the system were being carried out.Rag monsters are made up of wet wipes, sanitary items, clothing, floss, hair, paper towels, wood, and fats or oils and are usually found when wastewater pumps clog and pipes block or overflow.The costly clogs can block pipes and damage pumps. They are especially common after heavy rain and, on average, Napier council staff expect to find 30 blockages a month,…

Hundreds of people were involved in the drug-related violence in the western French city of Poitiers, with teenagers among those injured. ADVERTISEMENTFive people, including three teenagers, have been seriously injured following a shootout linked to drug trafficking in western France, in the latest such violence to involve children.The violence erupted in front of a restaurant overnight in the western city of Poitiers and turned into a brawl involving up to 600 people, France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Friday.”It started with a shootout at a restaurant and ended with a brawl between rival gangs that involved several hundred people,”…