Author: Press Room

A series of declassified documents suggest TikTok was exploited by a “state actor” to influence the outcome of Romania’s presidential election. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission has sent TikTok an “urgent” request for information demanding more answers about the platform’s increasingly controversial role in the first round of Romania’s presidential elections, which saw the sudden victory of Călin Georgescu and fuelled serious concerns of foreign interference. Georgescu, an independent candidate who has embraced Eurosceptic, Russian-friendly, ultra-nationalist and pseudo-scientific views, will face off Elena Lasconi, a pro-European liberal, in the second round scheduled for this Sunday.”We are concerned about mounting indications of coordinated…

The labour market is expected to become increasingly challenging, with an unprecedented number of people moving away from New Zealand, while AI is driving demand for skills that are likely to be in short supply.Recruitment firm Robert Walters said a lack of opportunities and inadequate salaries was driving people to seek employment overseas, which could mean the country lost a substantial number of highly skilled individuals, potentially for the long-term.”It’s no secret that the job market in New Zealand is pretty dire currently,” chief executive Shay Peters said.A survey of top-200 tech sector companies by the Technology Investment Network (TIN)…

Prosecutors say Anna Donelli exploited her spiritual role to pass messages between a gang and their associates in prison. ADVERTISEMENTAn Italian nun who won an award earlier this year for her voluntary work in prisons has been arrested on suspicion of being a mafia intermediary. Anna Donelli, 57, who served as a counsellor at several prisons in and around Brescia, northern Italy, was detained on Thursday, according to the Italian media. As part of a wider police operation, a further 24 people were detained in the clampdown for mafia-linked crimes including money laundering, drug trafficking and extortion. One of them…

Buses will not be available for those planning to spend their New Year’s Eve in Picton due to a scheduling clash with cruise ships visiting the region.The annual party usually attracts about 6000 people to the Picton foreshore for live entertainment and to watch the fireworks at midnight.The event, organised by Pure Events Marlborough in partnership with the Marlborough District Council, normally provided buses to help people travel between Blenheim and Picton. At one stage those buses were free.But at a council committee meeting last week, the council’s regional events adviser Samantha Young said the buses would not be available…

Police are investigating after needles were found in two different food products at a Woolworth’s supermarket in Auckland.Police confirmed they were making initial enquiries after a report of needles found at the Woolworth’s in Papakura Wednesday.Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle said food safety officers would be onsite on Thursday to support police.”Police are making initial enquiries into the matter, with New Zealand Food Safety’s support, to ensure that consumers are not at risk.”The affected products have been removed from the shelves, Arbuckle said.”We are closely monitoring the situation. Based on information to date there is no evidence of…

Police have issued a warning about people posing as tow truck drivers in Auckland following several incidents in the last few months.Motorists have been warned about a small group of people who are “committing crimes by using unregistered tow truck drivers to pick up vehicles”.Counties Manukau police sergeant Suzannah Kimber said the group steals vehicles by pretending to legitimately tow them before disposing of the vehicles, and added they “even go as far as wearing high-visibility clothing”.”Recently these offenders towed a member of the public’s vehicle in plain sight,” she said.”Members of the public drove past this tow truck while…

Maketū Pies has been saved again — two weeks into its liquidation process.Privately-owned catering business Montana Group took over the 42-year-old brand and its about 20 employees today.Maketū Foods Ltd was placed into voluntary solvent liquidation by its previous owner, Te Arawa Management Ltd, at the end of November, and liquidators had been seeking a buyer for the business.Te Arawa bought the company in a receivership process five years ago.Montana Group employed about 1000 people and had 30 kitchens across Tāmaki Makaurau and the Waikato.Representatives from Montana Group met with the Maketū Pies team this week to make introductions and…

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, former Georgian ambassador to the EU, Natalie Sabanadze, identified Georgia’s strategic geopolitical importance to the European Union. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union must decide what it really wants from Georgia, former head of Georgian mission to the EU Natalie Sabanadze tells Radio Schuman in an interview we feature today.According to Sabanadze, currently senior research fellow at the International Affairs think tank Chatham House, the EU should react to the recently re-elected Georgian Dream party’s decision to suspend EU accession talks.Last week, thousands of Georgians protested in the capital, Tbilisi, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that his…

The Government has agreed to fund a new courthouse for Whanganui.It will invest $100m into building the new facility on a large block bound by Bell, Dublin, Wicksteed and Liverpool streets in the west of the city.An artist’s impression released of the building gives the first insight of what it will look like.The 5000 square metre courthouse is being built alongside a new police station as part of a modern, new “justice precinct” on the former Ucol Polytechnic campus site.The Ministry of Justice and police have been working with iwi and hapū to develop the concept of a centralised justice…

Heat alerts have been issued in four locations as MetService warns of continuing warm temperatures across the eastern coasts of New Zealand.Gisborne, Napier and Hastings are all in for 32C days, while Blenheim is expected to record a 30C maximum.”The temperature is forecast to be very hot for this location,” messages on the MetService website read.”We advise you to keep hydrated, seek shade, check in with vulnerable people and look after your pets and livestock.”Using 20 years of data, meteorologists have picked a threshold for 46 locations across the country, with the alert triggered if the mercury spikes.Overnight temps still…