Police have arrested a man following a possible stabbing in downtown Auckland. One person was taken to hospital after suffering “superficial” injuries, police Inspector Jason Homan said.Police attended a report someone had a knife…
Tag Archives: oceania
Two motorcycle dealerships in Auckland victims of fake ID use for 'test drives'
A string of motorbikes reported stolen in Auckland are being linked to one man that has allegedly been using a fake ID to take them for a “test drive”.The man, acting as an interested buyer, has targeted two Auckland motorcycle…
Rimutaka Prison inmate needed surgery after boiled water attack
An inmate at Rimutaka Prison needed surgery after a rival gang member in the unit threw a 10-litre bin of boiled water over him.The hot water dispenser in the prison unit had malfunctioned on the day of the attack, meaning it was…
Recall for popular baby toy over choking hazard
A potential choking hazard has triggered the recall of a baby toy sold at Target stores.
The Early Learning Centre (ELC) Little Senses Lights & Sounds Shape Sorter toy was the subject of a recall by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Aimed a children aged from six to 36 months of age, it is sold online or in-store at Target.
READ MORE: RBA considers smaller rate hike as house prices tipped to fall 10 per cent
The toy has a defect that may result in part of the toy, a red sorting cube with a clear top, breaking, the ACCC said.
The ball could present as a choking hazard for young children with the risk of severe injury or death.
The consumer watchdog urged customers to immediately remove and dispose of the red cube from the toy.
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Shoppers who have bought the product from Target should contact the company to request a replacement cube, which will be free of charge.
Orders for the replacement cube should be emailed to Target.
Shocking footage captures school bus smashing into Auckland motorway overpass
A woman who watched a packed school bus careen into an Auckland motorway overpass then ran to help the schoolgirls onboard says the ordeal was “unbelievable” and left her in tears.Terrifying footage has since emerged capturing the…
Sydney resident's novel solution to charge electric car
A Sydney resident has come up with a novel way to charge their electric car without a garage.
Photos show the electric car parked on a street in Manly with a lengthy extension cord snaking from the house onto the road before the electric car charger is plugged into a power bank beneath the boot of the vehicle.
The person has even added a cable cover on the footpath to protect the loose power cord.
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Another video shows the extension cord wrapped around the fence when it's not in use.
Mark told Ben Fordham on 2GB the innovative charging set-up is simply a hazard.
"It's going to be a trip hazard as well as an electrical hazard to any hazard," he said.
"If someone trips over, do they sue the homeowner?
"Because their home and contents insurance probably has public liability cover but the insurance companies will say it's outside your house so we're not covering and the local council will say it's not our problem.
"It's going to be a lawyer's picnic."
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He also questioned what happens to the exposed power bank that can be seen on the ground when it rains.
The charging set up has sparked questions about how people without garages will charge electric cars, which more Aussies are being urged to invest in.
Mark said even though some councils are considering running the charging cables down power poles it's going to look like "spaghetti junction".
"It's going to be like the old poles 30 years ago when Optus were running pay TV cables all over the streets and people were up in arms about that. It looks terrible," he said.
Mayoral debate cancelled after candidate withdraws from race
Efeso Collins has called rival Wayne Brown pulling out of the Herald’s mayoral debate an “insult to Aucklanders”.The debate, scheduled to be livestreamed at 5pm, was cancelled after Viv Beck’s sudden withdrawal from the race this…
Trapped teen cut out of mangled car in Sydney
Police are investigating whether speed was the cause of a crash that left five teenagers injured in Sydney's south west.
At about 6am, emergency services were called to Stoney Creek Road, Beverly Hills, after a Honda Accord had crashed into a pole.
Two passengers, both 16-year-old girls, were treated at the scene and taken to St George Hospital in stable conditions.
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Another two passengers, a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, were taken to Liverpool Hospital in stable conditions.
The 18-year-old man driving the car suffered minor injuries. He was taken to hospital for mandatory testing.
Fire and Rescue revealed that they had to use hydraulic tools to cut free one of the teens, who was trapped in the back seat.
Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said police are investigating whether speed was the cause of the crash.
McFadden added officers are investigating the status of the 18-year-old's licence.
"Early indications are the status is ambiguous at the moment," he said.
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Locals were woken by the huge sound of the crash, some even felt the house shake.
"Dust came from the ceiling," one said.
"I heard a loud bang about 6am this morning, it woke me up, I had a peak out the window and saw the crash," another said.
"It was really confronting, not a good thing to see."
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It comes just a week after the fatal crash near Wollongong where five teenagers were killed.
"We have a direct correlation with what happened just days ago at Buxton. We are most fortunate we didn't lose another five lives," McFadden said.
An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is underway.
Bodies in suitcases: CCTV footage led to arrest of woman in South Korea
By RNZ CCTV footage led police in South Korea to the woman wanted over the killing of two children found in suitcases in South Auckland.A 42-year-old woman was arrested yesterday in Ulsan and is being held in Seoul pending an…
RBA considers smaller rate hike as house prices tipped to fall
Australia's next interest rate hike could be halved from the usual trend of 50 basis points as property prices dip by at least 10 per cent, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia has hinted at in a recent speech.
Addressing a parliamentary standing committee on economics, Governor Philip Lowe said that while further hikes to the cash rate are "required", it will be necessary to slow the speed and size of those hikes.
He said while the RBA was not on a "pre-set path", it was committed to doing whatever was necessary to bring Australia's inflation rate back down to between two and three per cent.
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"I know that higher interest rates are unwelcome for many people, especially those who have borrowed large sums over recent times," Lowe told the committee.
"Higher interest rates are putting pressure on households, just at the time that higher petrol prices and grocery bills are squeezing budgets. So it is a difficult and a concerning time for some people.
"The alternative, though, of allowing higher inflation to become entrenched would be even more difficult and it would damage our economic prospects."
Australia's current inflation rate is 6.1 per cent, and the current cash rate target is 2.35 per cent, having been lifted by five consecutive hikes since May.
All bar one of those hikes was by 50 basis points – or 0.5 per cent. Only the first hike in May was 25 basis points.
"At some point, we will obviously not be increasing rates by 50 basis points at each meeting, and we're getting closer to that point," Lowe said.
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During questions Lowe said he anticipates Australia's red-hot property market to retreat by as much as 10 per cent as higher interest rates and inflation clamp down on the public's willingness to commit to large mortgages.
"House prices went up 25 per cent over the past two years. A very, very big increase," he said.
"It's not a forecast, but it would not surprise me if prices came down by a cumulative 10 per cent.
"And even if they did, that is still up 15 per cent over three years."
READ MORE: Australia's interest rate hits seven-year high
Lowe and the entirety of the RBA have been frequently criticised in recent months as leading house buyers into a false sense of security that interest rates would not rise until 2024.
He told the committee that he never made that promise – and any statement on the movement of the cash rate target was wholly dependent on the latest economic data.
"I am frequently reminded that many people interpreted our previous communication as a promise, or a commitment, that interest rates wouldn't rise until 2024," he said.
"This was despite our statements on interest rates always being conditional on the state of the economy. This conditionality often got lost in the messaging.
"We are currently working through the implications of this for our future approach to forward guidance and communication more generally."