Author: Press Room

Living alone often means much higher costs. A new study identifies the best places for singles considering to relocate with the aim of increasing their purchasing power. ADVERTISEMENTSingle adult households are about 80 million in the EU, accounting for over half of the total.Between 2013 and 2023, the rate of people living alone without children rose by more than 21%, becoming the fastest growing in the EU.Amid rising living expenses and soaring house prices, the financial burden of living alone is becoming increasingly high, which is why today that’s also known as “singles tax”.Swedish credit comparison agency Credwise developed an…

The Auckland-based owner of a St Kilda pub has dismissed police opposition to a liquor licence as ‘‘speculation and tenuous inference’’. An on-licence and off-licence renewal application for the St Kilda Tavern was heard by Dunedin’s district licensing committee on Thursday. It was opposed by police, the medical officer of health delegate and a licensing inspector. Alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Steve Jones, of Dunedin, said in his report the applicant company’s sole director, Darshpreet Singh, owned a number of premises under different companies. The St Kilda Tavern was his first venture into the South Island, and Sgt Jones raised…

A 20-year-old driver has been charged with allegedly causing the deaths of two of his passengers in a crash earlier this year.A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old woman were killed in the crash on Butchers Rd in Clarkville on January 11. In a statement, police said “the car they were travelling in hit a concrete power pole with such force, the vehicle split in half”. “Both the victims were located deceased at the scene, while the driver sustained minor injuries,” a police spokesperson said. Following an investigation into the cause of the crash, the 20-year-old North Canterbury man was arrested…

In a world-first, the EU created legislation to regulate Artificial Intelligence, called the AI Act. But it now seems to be moving away from effective protection for those harmed by this technology by abandoning a proposed AI Liability Directive. ADVERTISEMENTThe Artificial Intelligence Act came into force in the EU in August 2024, defining four levels of risk for AI systems: unacceptable, high, limited and minimal. Eight practices are banned as unacceptable based on behaviour or personal characteristics, and these bans came into effect this month.There are many other potential risks arising from AI to health, safety and fundamental rights, and a proposal was intended to create…

Police are investigating after a man was hit and killed by a vehicle on State Highway 6 near Queenstown last night.Emergency services were called to the scene near Kawarau Bridge Historic Reserve on State Highway 6 at around 10pm.”Sadly, the man was located deceased at the scene,” a police spokesperson said.”Work is now underway to understand what has occurred, as well as to formally identify the victim.”Police have appealed for witnesses to the incident, as well as anyone who may have seen a man wearing black pants and a black shirt walking on State Highway 6 near the area before…

MEPs Alessandra Moretti and Elisabetta Gualmini enmeshed in the corruption scandal that rocked the Parliament in 2022 ADVERTISEMENTThe Belgian federal prosecutor’s office requested on Tuesday that the European Parliament waive the immunity of two Italian Socialist MEPs, Alessandra Moretti and Elisabetta Gualmini, as part of the investigation into alleged bribery involving Qatari officials.Federal prosecutor and parliamentary sources confirmed the immunity waiver request to Euronews.Moretti and Gualmini were cited in documents at the initial stages of the investigation into the alleged corruption that emerged on December 9, 2022, but they have never been formally investigated until now.The scandal has embroiled several…

A Wellington city councillor is calling for legal action against Wellington Water after a damming investigation into the company.It comes after the release yesterday of two reports which found structural problems, poor value for money from contractors, and an incident of alleged theft at the agency.It found the capital’s ratepayers were paying nearly three times more for water repairs than in other parts of the country.City councillor Tim Brown told RNZ that he would instigate an effort for the council to take legal action against the directors of Wellington Water relating to how much money has been lost.”It’s a large…

In a letter to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban obtained by Euronews, European Council President Antonio Costa acknowledged divergences on the path to achieve peace in Ukraine, but touted the need for the EU to contribute ‘strong security guarantees’ for the country. ADVERTISEMENTEuropean Council President António Costa acknowledged divergences over the EU’s “peace through strength” approach to Ukraine but said that the bloc should prepare to take part in discussions and will need to contribute to strong security guarantees, in a 3 March letter to Viktor Orbán seen by Euronews.“On Ukraine, we all want to put an end to Russia’s…

A Whanganui supermarket has apologised after telling a customer who spent more than $1000 on groceries she was required to give personal details in relation to the transaction.Taysha Williams alleged she was asked for private information by Pak’nSave staff without explanation – and told she could not leave the supermarket without doing so.Williams said she and her children went grocery shopping at Pak’nSave Whanganui on March 1, spending more than $1000.”I was asked to give my details but with no explanation for why and, if I didn’t, I was not allowed to leave,” she wrote on social media.Williams claimed she…

This article was originally published in French France and the UK have floated the idea to send troops on the ground as a guarantee after a potential peace deal. However, so far, not many countries appear to be on board. ADVERTISEMENTFrance and the UK have floated the idea of developing a “coalition of the willing” to enforce any peace deal in Ukraine at a summit in London on Sunday.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the coalition as a group of countries “ready to support Ukraine with troops on the ground and planes in the air, working with others”.However the mandate of…