Author: Press Room

In 2024, the Polish government reversed a 2015 decision to slash public funding for IVF treatment. The first baby was born as a result of the policy change on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENTA child conceived by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) was born in Poland on Wednesday, the first since President Andrzej Duda signed into law a bill which restored public funding for the fertility treatment.Funding was previously slashed by the former conservative government in 2015.The health ministry announced the birth in a post on X, stating that “the first girl has been born as a result of the government’s IVF programme,” adding…

The march from the capital Belgrade to the northern city of Novi Sad is part of the demonstrations launched by university students across Serbia to demand accountability for the deaths of 15 people in a train station awning collapse last November. ADVERTISEMENTProtesting university students in Serbia have embarked on an 80-kilometre march from Belgrade to Novi Sad on Thursday, with plans to participate in a 24-hour blockade of bridges in the northern Serbian city and regional capital once there.The demonstrations, which will take place on Saturday, are a continuation of a series of protests over a deadly train station awning…

TVNZ and Whakaata Māori will team up to provide live and free-to-air coverage of this year’s Te Matatini Festival in Ngāmotu New Plymouth. New Zealand’s largest Māori performing arts festival will kick off on February 25 and end on March 1.Those wanting to tune in to the prestigious and highly anticipated kapa haka competition will be able to watch it on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+. It will also be on Whakaata Māori and Māori+. “Having Whakaata Māori and TVNZ onboard again for Te Matatini 2025 is a significant triumph as it means the power and beauty of kapa haka at…

In 2024, internet users in the EU took more online courses than in the previous year. Ireland had the highest share of online learners, followed by the Netherlands and Finland. ADVERTISEMENTAround 33% of internet users in the EU did online courses or used online learning material in 2024. According to the latest Eurostat figures, this marks a 3% increase from 2023. Ireland recorded the highest share of internet users engaged in online learning at 61%, followed by the Netherlands at 59% and Finland at 53%. By contrast, online education was significantly less common in Romania at 10%, Cyprus at 11%…

A new report looking at the economic impact of the brewing industry has found it is contributing $3.58 billion to the country’s annual GDP. The report, from the Brewers Association of New Zealand and the Brewers Guild of New Zealand, Brewing in New Zealand – Industry Report, looked at the brewing sector’s impact on the economy, tourism, and regional communities. The report found the sector’s contribution to the annual GDP was just shy of 1 percent, at 0.9 percent. The industry also generated $1.7b of tax revenue for the government each year, including $881 million from excise and GST, and supported…

More gay and bisexual men will soon be able to donate blood and plasma following a long called for update to the rules.Medsafe has approved the change which would introduce an evidence-based assessment that would apply to all donors — regardless of gender or sexual orientation.Currently, men who have had sex with men in the past three months are ineligible to give blood due to concerns around HIV.Blood Service chief medical officer Dr Sarah Morley said the new assessment would ask the same questions of every donor to assess potential risks for sexually transmitted infections.”Achieving Medsafe approval means NZBS is…

The former head of the International Space Station looks forward to European astronauts heading to the moon. ADVERTISEMENTEurope is not lagging behind the US and China on space exploration and is taking a front seat on the Artemis II programme which is seeking to send a crewed mission to the moon, a leading European astronaut has told Euronews.Luca Parmitano is in the European Astronaut Corps for the European Space Agency (ESA) and was the first Italian and third European to command the International Space Station (ISS) during an expedition in 2019/2020.“I don’t think we are lagging behind at all… we…

The Body Shop NZ has started closing some of its stores today after the retailer entered voluntary administration last week.In an email to customers, the skincare, hair, and makeup company said its stores in St Lukes, Queen St, Queensgate, Porirua, Richmond, and Northland would permanently close today.Its stores in Bayfair, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Cuba St, and Albany would close on Sunday.Its stores in Riccarton (Christchurch), Sylvia Park (Auckland), Lambton Quay (Wellington), Nelson, and Napier would remain open “for the time being”.”We want to sincerely thank you for your loyalty and support throughout the years. It has been our pleasure to…

A locomotive engineer experiencing brain fog in the wake of a Covid-19 infection likely played a role in a KiwiRail coal train’s near miss with another train in the South Island early last year, an investigation has found.The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report concluded the locomotive engineer was likely to be cognitively impaired when he ran a stop signal and narrowly avoided a collision with a train coming in the opposite direction near Arthur’s Pass.The loaded coal train bound for Lyttelton departed Arthur’s Pass on February 27, 2024, with the locomotive engineer taking over Train 850 at the pass…

Wellington City Council’s crown observer is surprised the organisation “hasn’t totally wilted under the pressure” of long-term plan changes, according to a new report.In October, former local government minister Simeon Brown decided to appoint a crown observer after the council chose to rewrite its long term plan.On November 13, former chief executive of Tasman District Council and Gisborne District Council Lindsay McKenzie started in the role.A report written by McKenzie has been posted on social media and verified by RNZ.It said a combination of issues, such as changing the long term plan and the resignation of the council’s chief executive…