On March 18, a group of six Iranians who support the Pahlavi Iran movement came to Aragon’s restaurant, which had the US and Israeli flags on the floor. Alex Aragon, owner of Persian restaurant Banoo in Lower Hutt, was filmed by members of the public after he placed the US and Israeli flags on the floor. Security footage seen by the Herald showed the group approaching the establishment and peering into the entrance. Images of the restaurant from the Wednesday incident showed Aragon also displayed a picture of Khamenei in the restaurant. During his interview with the Herald, Aragon’s phone rang more than 10 times with calls from unknown numbers.

Photo: RNZThe finance minister will reveal "targeted and temporary" support for hard-hit families on Tuesday, as fuel costs continue to rise. Jones also announced plans to align New Zealand's fuel standards with that of Australia, allowing the import of fuel destined for Australia to New Zealand instead. Motorists should fuel up as and when they needed to, she said, with the government's solution set to target income rather than fuel prices. 'No concerns' about fuel supplyFor now, there were no concerns about fuel supplies in New Zealand, she said. The government would not follow Australia's lead in relaxing standards to allow higher-sulphur fuel, he said, at least not yet.

University of Otago deputy vice-chancellor Greg CookThe University of Otago is not planning to build weapons as part of any partnership with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), it says. Deputy vice-chancellor for research and information Prof Greg Cook said weapons were not the plan. "It is important to be clear that as part of the RFI (request for information), the university is not proposing to build defence weapons. However, Prof Cook said weapons would not be a focus of any partnership with the NZDF. Asked about concerns from staff who might have objections to working with the NZDF, Prof Cook said there was no requirement for anyone to work on these projects.

Photo: Getty ImagesLast year was among the hottest on record, as the world's "addiction" to fossil fuels continues to drive global warming, new data shows. 2024 remains the hottest year on record, but 2025 was the second- or third-hottest, across the nine major global datasets. The organisation said the global climate was more out of balance than at any other time in observed history, as greenhouse gas concentrations reached their highest levels in at least 800,000 years. The WMO's State of the Climate report said increasingly severe weather, driven by climate change, was already affecting agricultural production and displacing people from their homes. Victoria University professor of climate science James Renwick said the science of climate change had been understood for a century or more now.

The bill, which is scheduled to have it's first reading on Tuesday, has been welcomed by the commercial sector but condemned by recreational fishing groups. It's beginning of the end for our fish stocks, and that' not over dramatising it." He said it wouldn't encourage commercial fishers to avoid undersized fish and would decrease overall fish stocks. The current recreational size limit for snapper is between 25cm and 30cm depending on location, while the commercial size limit is 25cm. Seafood New Zealand's Inshore Policy Manager Tamar Wells said the commercial sector was trying to make the industry more sustainable.

A workman works to replace a traffic light in Kelvin St at its intersection with Gala St in Invercargill yesterday after it was struck by a vehicle involved in a fatal crash. A person was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Winding Creek Rd near Waikaia, police said. Another person sustained moderate injuries in the crash and was treated by ambulance officers at the scene. A reporter at the scene yesterday afternoon said other than tyre marks, light vehicle debris and a traffic light being replaced, there was little evidence of the fatal incident. If anyone saw the crash, or had CCTV in the vicinity of Wellesley Ave, Avenal St or Kelvin St, they were asked to contact police.

Last week, Ethan Webster had his life sentence quashed due to his significant neurocognitive impairments, which came to light after his sentencing. Following the Court of Appeal's decision to overturn Webster's sentence, Ramsay's family said they were "very disappointed" with the outcome. William Candy was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum period of 17 years for his role in the murder. Candy, who pleaded guilty to murder alongside Webster, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum period of 17 years. The court ruled a life imprisonment sentence was manifestly unjust when public safety concerns "do not loom large".

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGESA brain surgeon who refused advice from his colleagues has been stood down after his patient died of a brain bleed post-operation. When he asked Dr C what he was going to do about the pseudo-aneurysm, and Dr C replied: "(W)hat pseudo-aneurysm." It said Dr C had a history of persevering despite recommendations from others, and a culture of staying silent had developed. "Dr C told HDC that this was made sarcastically in reference to the brain-bleeding because it was so obvious that an injury had occurred." Caldwell said Dr C described being "burnt out", and in her view, Health NZ had an organisational responsibility to staff its service safely.

A milk spill on SH73 near Parapet Rock, between Lake Pearson and Castle Hill, means that road users are being asked to stop on demand. Photo: Supplied / NZTA via RNZMotorists are being warned that a milk spill is affecting traffic on State Highway 73 in Canterbury. It comes after an oil spill closed Porters Pass for several hours this morning, after a vehicle towing a fuel tank became stuck on the one-lane Porter River Bridge. Fire and Emergency NZ sent crews from Springfield and Sheffield, who assisted with road control. Waka Kotahi NZ said the milk spill occurred near Parapet Rock, between Lake Pearson and Castle Hill.

Three people, one armed with a gun, broke into a home in the Auckland suburb of Wesley on Sunday night, police say. Detective Senior Sergeant Rebecca Kirk said the armed robbery took place in Gifford Avenue at about 10pm. She said the trio demanded cash and other items before fleeing. The police Eagle helicopter searched for them but couldn't find them. Police are asking anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area to contact them with information.

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“The Princes St on-ramp is currently closed,” police said. Shortly after the accident, Google Maps showed traffic backed up more than 4km from Princes St East to south of the East Tāmaki Rd off-ramp. Multiple people are injured after a crash near the Mt Wellington turnoff. Also on Sunday morning, one person died following a two-vehicle crash on Auckland’s Southern Motorway near Onehunga. Photo / Google MapsSeparately, two trucks collided outside the North Island town of Levin overnight, closing State Highway 57 for at least six hours.

Radio NZ reports:US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed scores of children on Saturday but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation, two US officials told Reuters. If the deaths were caused by the US, this was one of the worst mishaps in modern warfare. It is a tragedy for the families involved. There is no suggestion it was deliberate, but that is little comfort to the parents who have the unimaginable horror of having to bury their children. I hope there is a full investigation into what happened, if for no other reason than to minimise it reoccuring.

Maia Joseph on her way to scoring for the Black Ferns during their win over Ireland at the Rugby World Cup. Photo: Getty ImagesOtago halfback Maia Joseph has been included in Whitney Hansen's first Black Ferns squad. Among the squad, nine players were also part of the inaugural Black Ferns XV squad in 2023 under Hansen. However, veteran Black Ferns Amy Rule and Alana Borland (nee Bremner), who gave up Black Ferns contracts to play full seasons in the PWR, are not eligible for selection. Black Ferns Head Coach Whitney Hansen said the Pacific Four Series is an opportunity to showcase new talent and measure performance.

Pakistani Community of Otago president Anam Nawaz, and her daughter Khirad Ahmed, 10, enjoy some spicy potato salad during the Eid celebration at the Edgar Centre on Saturday evening. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSHTwo separate Pakistan societies have become one in an effort to connect the entire community together. The newly formed Pakistani Community of Otago (PCO), which has emerged out of the Pakistan Association of Otago and the Dunedin Pakistani Society, held a special Eid celebration at the Edgar Centre on Saturday evening to mark the event. ‘‘This is kind of our initiative to engage not only the Pakistani community, but the wider community in Dunedin. They hoped to host another Eid celebration in two months’ time.