Author: Press Room
ADVERTISEMENT Three-quarters of EU citizens currently live in urban areas – a figure that is set to rise to 78% by 2050. Europe’s cities are vital engines of economic growth, innovation and employment. However, they are not without their problems. A recent Eurobarometer survey has shown that urban populations are increasingly concerned about key local issues. More than half of the bloc’s city dwellers consider affordable housing an immediate and urgent problem, with respondents in Cyprus, Ireland and Spain feeling the issue more acutely than elsewhere. The quality of public services and safety in public spaces also top the list of…
Toyworld is set to make its return to Dunedin next month with a new store opening in the Meridian Mall. New store owner Mike Lee — who also owns three Toyworld stores in Christchurch and another in Nelson — said they were really excited to be returning to the city. He confirmed the new Toyworld store would be moving into the top floor of the Meridian Mall, in the now subdivided former Kmart and Smiths City site next to JB Hi-Fi. It is expected to open late next month. ‘‘We’re really excited to be back. ‘‘We’ve had lots of people…
Realistic fruit ice creams are causing such a stir that one Christchurch dairy says he sold $20,000 worth of the ice creams on the first day they were in the freezer.Megha Discounters dairy owner John Patel says hundreds of people lined up outside the Richmond shop on the August day the 200 boxes landed. They’ve been out of stock for nearly a fortnight, but he has up to 70 people popping in each day to see if the freezer is full.The frozen treats are shaped and coloured like whimsical fruits. They smell and taste like the fruit they resemble, filled…
Published on 03/09/2025 – 12:28 GMT+2 •Updated 12:57 ADVERTISEMENT Estonia is “not much worried” that the reassurance force allies could send to Ukraine as a security guarantee will weaken NATO’s eastern flank but is discussing the issue with the military alliance, the country’s president said on Wednesday. The small Baltic state, which is among the 30 mostly European countries that make up the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’, has indicated it is ready to send troops to non-contact areas in Ukraine as part of an international reassurance force following any eventual ceasefire with Russia. Lithuania and Latvia have also said…
Images of a masked and armed offender have been released after an aggravated robbery at an eatery in Auckland’s Panmure last month.Police said the incident took place just before 1.30am on August 12, where the offender entered the eatery on Jellicoe Road with a hammer.Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Greaves said the offender threatened a worker behind the counter with the hammer before taking the till.“The offender has then fled in a stolen vehicle.“We would like to identify this individual, and I’m asking anyone who knows who they are to get in touch.”(Source: New Zealand Police)Police said the offender wore a…
By Peggy Corlin & video by Amandine Hess Published on 03/09/2025 – 13:36 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT The Commission launched the ratification process for the trade agreement concluded in December 2024 with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay on Wednesday, hoping that the most resistant member states — led by France — will ultimately give their approval. To that end, it has met a key demand from Paris, by attaching a declaration to the agreement committing to closely monitoring potential market disruptions for EU producers of the most sensitive products, such as beef and poultry. The deal between the EU and the Mercosur countries aims to…
An Ōpōtiki couple were sleepless for two nights after discovering they’d won $12.5 million in Saturday’s Powerball draw. The couple, who did not want to be named, bought their ticket on the MyLotto app, picking a few lines “based on the numbers that stand out to us at that time” and autofilling the rest. While lying in bed after the draw, about to go to sleep, the man said he “suddenly had this feeling” that he had to check his ticket. “I didn’t log in to MyLotto straight away, but looked online and saw Powerball had been won in the…
ADVERTISEMENT If launched, the digital euro will be “profit-making” for payment service providers, Piero Cipollone, a member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) executive board, reassured MEPs on Thursday. “We do not have the impression that this project will be loss-making. I think this is an assumption that needs to be proved,” Cipollone told members of the European Parliament’s economic affairs committee in Brussels. “For what we know, the taking up of the digital euro will not be so huge that it puts in danger the financial stability, but will be enough to provide a signal to the central bank…
Candidates promising a zero rate rises are ”living in la la land”, says Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon.Speaking at a mayoral debate run by GreyPower North Canterbury on Tuesday, Gordon took aim at his opponent, councillor Paul Williams, who promised zero percent rate rises from the 2027/28 financial year.”Zero rating is just a fallacy unless you cut services,” Gordon said. ”Will libraries close? Will hours be reduced? Will swimming pools have lifeguards cut?”Debt allows us to spread the cost out over 25 years and we are told we are one of the best councils in the country for managing our debt.”We…
Published on 03/09/2025 – 14:49 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT A 2023 data transfer agreement between the EU and the US remains valid, the EU General Court has found, dismissing a French MEP’s complaint that it allows for disproportionate data collection, lacks transparency and adequate safeguards for Europeans’ personal information, and offers insufficient legal redress. The case brought by French MEP Philippe Latombe was the first such challenge to an international agreement. He needed to convince judges that the deal affected him directly as an individual – but he failed to do so. Over 2,800 US companies rely on the agreement to conduct…