Foreign News
New Zealand PM ‘shocked’ as aide accused of secretly recording women
A member of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s staff has resigned after being accused of secretly taking photos and videos of women, and recording audio of sex workers.
Michael Forbes, Luxon’s deputy chief press secretary, offered his “sincerest apologies to the women I have harmed”.
The allegations came to light after a sex worker said she noticed that Forbes’ phone had been recording audio while he was in the shower, local news website Stuff reported earlier this week.
His phone was later found to contain more photos and videos of women as well as audio recordings of his sexual encounters.
There were images of women at the gym and in the supermarket, Stuff NZ reported, as well as four videos of women in their homes, with the footage apparently taken from a window.
Luxon said Forbes’ case came as an “absolute shock” and that he had “zero tolerance for any behaviour that makes women or anyone feel unsafe”.
“My sympathy is with the women who raised these allegations and who were made to feel unsafe due to the actions of this person,” he said on Thursday, a day after Forbes resigned.
Luxon, along with other political leaders, have signalled an openness to changing privacy laws to better protect targets of voyeurism.
Police said they received a complaint from a Wellington brothel last July about photos found on a client’s phone, but ultimately decided the case did not meet the threshold for prosecution.
According to the Stuff report, Forbes’ encounter with the sex worker in Wellington happened in July 2024.
Forbes reportedly gave the sex worker his phone password after being confronted with the secret audio recording. The woman, together with other sex workers, then found multiple audio recordings of similar sessions, as well as photos and video in the device.
At that time, Forbes was the press secretary to social development minister Louise Upston. He became the acting deputy press secretary to Luxon in February.
Upston and Luxon said they had not known about the complaint against Forbes, who said in a statement he “was in a downward spiral due to unresolved trauma and stress” at the time of the incident. He said he has since sought professional help, but acknowledged what he had “failed to do then was make a genuine attempt to apologise”.
Luxon on Thursday called for a review of “inter-agency processes” after police chief Richard Chambers said the authorities had known about an investigation into Forbes last July but did not flag it to ministers.
“We have to take this incident and understand what has happened here and how it happened, and what more can we do about it,” Luxon said.
[BBC]
The United States Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will hold talks in Miami, Florida, with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye as efforts continue to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, even as Israel repeatedly violates the truce on the ground.
A White House official told Al Jazeera Arabic on Friday that Witkoff is set to meet representatives from the three countries to discuss the future of the agreement aimed at halting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Axios separately reported that the meeting, scheduled for today [Friday], will include Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
At the same time, Israel’s public broadcaster, quoting an Israeli official, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a restricted security consultation to examine the second phase of the ceasefire and potential scenarios.
That official warned that Israel could launch a new military campaign to disarm Hamas if US President Donald Trump were to disengage from the Gaza process, while acknowledging that such a move was unlikely because Trump wants to preserve calm in the enclave.
Despite Washington’s insistence that the ceasefire remains intact, Israeli attacks have continued almost uninterrupted, as it continues to renege on the terms of the first phase and blocks the free flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.
[Aljazeera]
A former Nascar driver and his family were among the seven people killed in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, the car-racing organisation has said.
A highway patrol spokesman said people on the ground confirmed that Greg Biffle was among those who boarded the plane.
The Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), officials investigating the incident told reporters.
“Greg was more than a champion driver, he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many,” Nascar said in a statement where it confirmed Biffle had died along with his wife, daughter, son, and three others.
“His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport,” the company added.
Beyond the racetrack, Biffle was remembered for helping in North Carolina in the aftermath of last year’s Hurricane Helene, when he used his personal helicopter to rescue stranded residents and deliver supplies.
Tributes to the former racer poured in on Thursday.
“Heartbreaking news out of Statesville,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein posted on X. “Beyond his success as a NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle lived a life of courage and compassion and stepped up for western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.”
Motorsport YouTuber Garrett Mitchell wrote on Facebook that Biffle and his family were on their way to spend the afternoon with him.
“Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us,” he wrote on Facebook. “We are devastated. I’m so sorry to share this.”
Statesville Airport Director John Ferguson described the aircraft as a corporate jet and said it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.
The Cessna C550 aircraft is owned by a private company associated with Biffle, CBS, the BBC’s US partner, reported.
The jet took off around 10:06 local time and was in the air briefly before it crashed on the east end of the runway.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice as crews clear debris off the runway, Mr Ferguson told reporters.
Officials did not provide any information about deaths or people aboard the aircraft during their first media conference.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation has sent in a team to investigate the fatal crash.
The Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the City of Statesville, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.
[BBC]
The UK and South Korea have finalised a trade deal which the government says will create thousands of jobs and bring billions into the British economy.
British industries including pharmaceuticals, car manufacturing, alcohol and financial services are expected to benefit from an extension to the current tariff-free trade on most goods and services.
The deal is the fourth such agreement struck by the Labour government, following deals with the EU, US and India — none of which have had a material impact on the UK’s economy so far.
South Korean culture, including music, cosmetics and food, has become much more popular in the UK in recent years.
(BBC)
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