Author: Press Room

On Saturday, the Georgian parliament will elect a new president, while EU leaders worry that the choice may signal further distancing from the EU. ADVERTISEMENTToday Radio Schuman dives into this weekend’s presidential election in Georgia with Euronews on the ground correspondent in Tblisi, Nuka Kekelia, asking what’s at stake for the country’s ties with the EU.Georgia has recently experienced weeks of protests following parliamentary elections that secured a win for the ruling Georgian Dream party. In the aftermath, the party announced plans to suspend efforts to join the European Union. Although the presidency in Georgia is largely ceremonial, this election…

Minister for Regulation David Seymour wants to trim the rules the country’s salons must adhere to, today announcing a “short and sharp” review of the regulations. “The review will seek to give the industry a regulatory ‘buzz cut’, as barbers and hairdressers deal with regulations which have been out of style since the 80s,” Seymour said.So, what are the current regulations around hairdressing?No wine or cuppa with that haircutA bill proposing to allow people to have a cup of tea or a glass of wine while they had their hair cut came as quite the surprise last month, especially for…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ  Wellington City has lost more than 10% of its jobs in a year, data shows. As more Health New Zealand cuts are revealed, data indicates the depth of the impact of the economic downturn, and political cuts, on the centre of the capital. Economist Shamubeel Eaqub compiled data that showed that from a year ago, the number of jobs in Wellington City has dropped 19,430. That is equal to 11.6% of the jobs in that area. He said the impact on the region would be grim. Auckland as a region – a much larger area…

Tributes have been flowing for prominent Mid Canterbury farming figure Chris Allen.The 62-year-old died in a tragic accident on his Ashburton Forks farm on Monday.Allen has been described as a titan of rural advocacy, a highly respected farmer, and “one of life’s good buggers.David Clark lives on the neighbouring farm and considers it an absolute privilege to have Chris as one of his closest friends.The community has “lost a mighty tōtara”, he said.”His contribution to our community and agriculture across New Zealand has been immense, with his tireless advocacy in biodiversity, environment, water management, and emergency response on behalf of…

Andrew Galloway’s first experience with alcohol occurred when an adult family member supplied him with a box of beer.”It was consumed irresponsibly and I was horribly sick. I went on to have a bad relationship with alcohol.”His experience mirrors what a large body of research-based evidence indicates. When parents introduce alcohol to their teenagers, it increases their child’s chances of having an unhealthy relationship with drinking.Galloway is now the executive director of Alcohol Healthwatch, an organisation dedicated to reducing and preventing alcohol-related harm. How parents should introduce alcohol to their children is a common question that he gets and the…

A “potent synthetic opioid” detected in fake oxycodone tablets has been seized at the border, prompting a warning from health officials.The substances come from a class of highly potent synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which may have been linked to several deaths in New Zealand since 2022, according to the drug warning service High Alert.Testing on the yellow and green tablets revealed they contained either N-pyrrolidine isotonitazene or N-pyrrolidine protonitazene – substances with a potency similar to or greater than fentanyl.High Alert said there were concerns the drugs were being represented and sold as legitimate oxycodone tablets. “Both N-pyrrolidino isotonitazene and…

A southern council’s work cars have been clocked speeding 884 times in just three months – an increase on the previous quarter’s report.However, Environment Southland says speeding incidents are now dropping as managers take a more proactive stance against offenders.The council made headlines in September for registering 856 speeding events of more than 10km/h in its company cars for the period April to June.It has now revealed that number jumped to 884 for the July to September quarter.The latest period also saw a total 39 “high speeding events” recorded for exceedances of more than 20km/h over the limit — an…

A black cat that disappeared eight years ago from their owner’s place in the northern suburbs of Wellington has been found again – to much surprise.Hilary Taylor said Tūī went missing in 2016 when she jumped the fence and disappeared into a neighbour’s garden. She had only recently been adopted along with another SPCA cat.Despite a lot of searching for her, she couldn’t be found.”I got a phone call from the local vet, he said we’ve got your cat Tūī here,” Taylor told Afternoons.”We don’t know where she was found. We assume it was local because it was a local…

Protests initially broke out against a contested parliamentary election in October which the opposition accused the Georgian Dream of rigging but they took on a new dimension after the decision last Thursday to put EU accession talks on hold until 2028. ADVERTISEMENTA delegation from the European Parliament has visited Georgia and marched with pro-EU protesters with demonstrations against the government’s decision to suspend accession talks now in a second week.The six MEPs also met with Georgia’s pro-Western president Salome Zourabichvili, as well as representatives of the opposition, civil society groups and the media. The six members of the delegation were…

Conservative US commentator Candace Owens will be allowed into New Zealand after the overturning of Immigration New Zealand’s ban on her entering the country.Known for controversial views including downplaying the holocaust and claiming Muslims started slavery, she was denied entry to Australia in October after she announced a speaking tour.Groups, including Young Labour, urged the Government to also ban her from New Zealand.She had an application for an Entertainers Work Visa denied last month.Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk made the decision to overturn New Zealand’s ban.In a statement, he said she had requested ministerial intervention.”Immigration New Zealand originally declined her…