Author: Press Room

European court finds Google’s lack of interoperability with another company’s app an abuse of dominance even if it did not actually stymie competition on the third-party’s app market. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Court of Justice has ruled that Google’s refusal to allow a digital platform developed by Enel access to its Android Auto platform was an abuse of dominance, even if the platform is not indispensable to the commercial operation of Enel’s app.The ruling follows a referral from the Italian Council of State after an Italian antitrust authority decision fining Alphabet (Google) €102m in 2021 for preventing Enel’s JuicePass from accessing Android…

Winter is coming — and Southland’s Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is gearing up for what usually is a challenging season. After announcing last year it would ramp up its potlines at Tiwai, New Zealand Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) chief executive Chris Blenkiron announced yesterday it would delay the plans until August 31. This was to ensure Meridian Energy had access to 50MW of electricity this winter, he said. “While it is always a difficult decision to reduce aluminium production, it makes sense to pause the ramp-up now and have 50MW available to Meridian this winter. “When we signed the 20-year electricity…

Food scraps will be collected from Whanganui households from July to stop huge amounts of green waste ending up in rubbish bins.Audits have shown food scraps make up 30% of Whanganui waste bin contents.Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford said while that might not seem like a big deal, food scraps being sent to landfill were the single biggest cause of climate change emissions in the waste sector.”In a landfill, food scraps can’t get enough oxygen to decompose properly. Instead, they rot slowly and release methane – a greenhouse gas that’s around 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide…

As much as 150 cubic metres of raw sewage flowed into the Waimea Estuary near Nelson and Richmond overnight after an equipment failure at a pump station.The spill occurred overnight on Monday at the Beach Rd pump station when a hose failed during bypass pumping ahead of works to connect a new rising main.Tasman District Council said the spill reached Saltwater Creek through an overland stormwater flow then washed into the estuary.”At this stage, we’re not able to say how much wastewater got into the waterway but it is estimated to be less than 150 cubic metres,” a spokesperson said.Environmental…

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, fighting is intensifying near the city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk. Euronews reports on the human impact of the conflict. ADVERTISEMENTAs the war in Ukraine enters its third year, tensions are escalating on the frontline in the country’s Donetsk region, where Ukrainian forces are engaged in a difficult battle.There are growing fears that if Russian troops capture or bypass the city of Pokrovsk, they could advance further into the Ukraine. Meanwhile, in the western Donbas, Ukraine’s coal mines, which are critical for the nation’s energy supply and a potential target for Moscow, are…

Police are appealing for sightings of a vehicle as part of the investigation into arsons at several churches in Masterton on Saturday.Four Masterton churches suffered damage ranging from “moderate to significant” on Saturday in a group of suspicious fires believed to have started between 4.25am and 4.35am.The churches affected were the Anglican Church of the Epiphany, St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Masterton Baptist Church, and Equippers Church Masterton.A graphic showing the locations of the church fires in Masterton. (Source: 1News)Police said they were following “strong lines of inquiry” and sought information about a green Ford Festiva seen leaving one of the…

Greece, Portugal and Romania have below-average scores on more than half of the indicators. ADVERTISEMENTResearch conducted on OECD countries in the EU has shown that around eight in 10 people aged 45 and over who saw a primary care professional in the previous six months have at least one chronic condition.   Over half have two or more, and over a quarter have three or more.There are 11 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries that are also in the EU: France, Belgium Luxembourg, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Romania, Portugal, Italy.More than 70% of people in…

One person is in a critical condition after a collision between a pedestrian and a bus in central Wellington this afternoon.Police responded to the incident on Manners St, between Victoria and Cuba streets, at around 4.40pm.”One person is in a critical condition,” a police spokesperson said.”Part of Manners St will be closed to traffic and pedestrians while the serious crash unit conducts a scene examination.”Metlink has been approached for comment.It comes after a woman was left in a critical condition after being hit by a car while crossing Courtenay Pl in central Wellington last night.Emergency services were notified of the…

Protesters at Rotorua’s tapu Lake Rotokākahi say they are tired and angry after facing off with police, but feel they “made history” and have no plans to leave.They are critical of a “forceful” police presence overnight on Monday as work restarted on a controversial sewerage scheme.Police, who arrested seven protesters, say they had a job to do and have not – and will not – impede anyone’s right to protest.Rotorua Lakes Council thanked protesters for their co-operation overnight and says work is progressing as planned.Council contractors resumed work to enable the last 1.3km of pipeline in the $29 million Tarawera…

The Ministry for Primary Industries has stopped seconding its staff into NZ First Minister Mark Patterson’s office.Patterson is the Minister for Rural Communities and the Associate Agriculture Minister.A whistleblower came forward to 1News raising concerns about the treatment of MPI staff in the Minister’s office. It is understood formal complaints have been made and more than one MPI staff member has left the office. No MPI staff are still working in the office.Patterson is not directly involved in the incidents and the Minister brought in Ministerial Services once he was made aware of the complaints.In a statement, MPI’s Director People…