Author: Press Room

The majority of Italians and French rarely skip their lunch break, while many British entrepreneurs sacrifice their self-care for business. ADVERTISEMENTSmall business owners are the backbone of the European economy.Micro and small enterprises (fewer than 50 employees) make up 99% of the EU total, according to Eurostat.Small entrepreneurs are also hardest working in business. They tend to work at least 41 hours a week, compared to the EU employee average of 36 hours.A new study by fintech company SumUp on nearly 4,000 small entrepreneurs in Ireland, Italy, the UK, Germany and France reveals huge differences in how they go about…

Thousands of New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes face a frustrating wait for potentially life-changing technology, despite a recent announcement from Pharmac that continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps are now fully funded.Last August, the drug-buying agency announced that CGMs and insulin pumps would be made universally available for people with type 1 diabetes. However, many have told 1News that while the CGMs are easy to access, they will have to wait up to five years before they can receive an insulin pump.Health NZ Te Whatu Ora confirmed that the delays in the rollout of insulin pumps are…

The 13-year-old who killed Dunedin student Enere Taana-McLaren attacked the 16-year-old with a knife did it because he didn’t want to look like a coward, the High Court has heard.In his closing address, Crown prosecutor Richard Smith told the jury the now 14-year-old was not trying to defend himself from Taana-McLaren, but instead – as he later told a psychiatrist – he did not want to be a “sackless c***”.The 14-year-old is accused of murdering Enere during a confrontation between the teenagers at Dunedin’s central city bus hub last May.The defence told the court he was a scared boy who…

The General Court has annulled the finding of harassment and the subsequent fine of €3,380 imposed on former Liberal MEP Monica Semedo by the European Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola in 2023. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU’s top court on Wednesday annulled the finding of harassment and the sanction imposed by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on former MEP Monica Semedo (Luxembourg/Renew Europe/) on the grounds that rights of defence were not respected.  Following a complaint by a former parliamentary assistant, the European Parliament’s advisory committee adopted a report in November 2002 concluding that the alleged acts constituted psychological harassment.   Metsola sent Semedo an…

The body of the first New Zealander killed in Ukraine nearly three years ago is finally being returned home.Dominic Abelen was killed in August 2022 while fighting in the East of Ukraine on leave without pay from the Defence Force.He was working to take over a Russian trench line in the Vuhledar region when he was wounded and died in battle.The soldier’s body ended up in Russian hands after his team came under intense fire while trying to retrieve him.Today he was finally returned to Ukraine where fellow soldiers and former members of his unit performed a haka before the…

French industries, including drinks such as wines and spirits, and pharmaceuticals, are the most at risk if the US president enacts the tariffs. ADVERTISEMENTThe spectre of a transatlantic trade war looms again as US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs of up to 25% on all EU goods. The potential move could send shockwaves through the French economy. In response, Brussels has signalled that it will be ready to retaliate.The US is France’s fourth-largest customer and fifth-largest supplier in 2023, according to Natixis, a major French banking group. Aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, wines and spirits together account for more…

Labour MP Peeni Henare has apologised to the Privileges Committee for stepping onto the floor of the debating chamber to perform a haka which interrupted voting on the controversial Treaty Principles Bill – but not for the performance itself. Henare and three other MPs – including Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi and MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke – were referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee after performing a haka in November.In his opening statements to the Privileges Committee this afternoon, Henare apologised “for breaking the rule of stepping away from my seat and onto the floor of the debating…

Radio Schuman features an interview with France’s Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad, who discussed the country’s nuclear deterrent and how it could be used for the benefit of the EU more broadly. ADVERTISEMENTFrance’s nuclear deterrence could be open to other European countries French Europe minister Benjamin Haddad told Euronews in an interview featured on Radio Schuman today.Haddad also praised Germany’s next chancellor Friedrich Merz for his openness to discuss the sharing of nuclear deterrence. Radio Schuman also looks at another day of hot debates in Strasbourg and new rules in Spain to avoid a massive influx of tourists this summer.Radio Schuman…

A New Plymouth woman says a month-long delay in getting the results of a “semi-urgent” ultrasound left her feeling like a “ticking time bomb”.Health New Zealand has apologised, saying the scan results should have been reported back between 7-10 days, but it was struggling with staff shortages.The woman – who RNZ has agreed not to identify – visited her GP on 10 January and was advised she needed a “semi-urgent” pelvic ultrasound.The Radiology Department at Taranaki Base Hospital managed to get her an appointment on 27 January, which she felt was reasonably prompt, but there has been a deafening silence…

Residents in the wider Marokopa area can expect an increased police presence over the next few days as the search for fugitive father Tom Phillips and his three children continues. Detective Inspector Andy Saunders said officers would conduct inquiries north of Marokopa and in and around Te Waitere and Te Maika. “This has not been prompted by any specific sighting – it is simply a continuation of the ongoing investigation,” he said. “The activity is not because of any new sightings or information.”Saunders said regular follow ups were made in the area and that police endeavour to keep the community…