Author: Press Room

Property values across the country dropped again during December, according to new CoreLogic numbers, but there could be signs “the floor for property values could be within reach”. Property values across New Zealand fell by -0.2% in December 2024, marking the ninth drop in the past 10 months.The latest figures from CoreLogic’s hedomic Home Value Index indicate property values across New Zealand fell by -0.2% in December 2024, marking the ninth drop in the past 10 months. The national median house value now sat at $803,624, which was 3.9% lower than a year ago and equivalent to a drop of…

Belgium became the first EU country to ban the sale of disposable vapes, while Luxembourg, Estonia, and Czechia report the highest vaping rates. ADVERTISEMENTThe rise of electronic cigarettes and vaping products has introduced a new public health challenge. While vaping rates remain relatively low in Europe overall, they are considerably higher among young people, according to the latest OECD report. Luxembourg, Estonia, and Czechia report the highest vaping rates, exceeding 10%, while Bulgaria, Austria, and Croatia have the lowest, at under 1%. In 2022, the average vaping rate for people aged 15 to 24 was 6.5%. Estonia saw the highest…

The tech billionaire repeated his criticism of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government in a string of posts claiming the UK should hold fresh elections. ADVERTISEMENTElon Musk has called for the release of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, triggering a salvo of criticism from centre-left and liberal British MPs.Musk pinned a post on X saying “Free Tommy Robinson” at the top of his profile Thursday after several posts criticising Labour Prime Minister Kier Starmer and his Minister for Safeguarding Jess Phillips over their responses to rape gangs in Rochdale and Oldham. This prompted questions about what should be done now…

Hundreds of tonnes of grain have been sent to Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad as part of the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian programme launched by the Ukrainian leader. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine will assist in stabilising the situation in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, adding that Ukrainian grain will be provided to Syria. “We are preparing to restore diplomatic relations with Syria and cooperation in international organisations,” Zelenskyy said.“We will communicate with Europeans and the US to ensure the support is as strong as possible,” he explained in a post on Telegram.…

Blood and milk ice blocks are not everyone’s idea of a birthday treat, but Auckland Zoo says it is just the ticket for its tiger cub Cahya.Sumatran tiger cub Cahya turned one on Thursday, and in a post on Facebook, carnivore keeper Kristin said Cahya is a mini-me of her mother Zayana.”Now a year old, Cahya is becoming more independent and sassy,” she wrote.Cahya is one of two siblings born on January 2 last year, but the other had to be euthanised after a head injury on January 30.The four-week-old cub had sustained the injury after a tumble while exploring…

Slovakia’s Kremlin-friendly PM Robert Fico said the termination of the gas transit deal between Kyiv and Moscow would have a “drastic impact” on the EU. ADVERTISEMENTUkraine’s decision to stop Russian gas flowing to EU states through its pipelines will hurt the bloc rather than Moscow, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.Russian gas exports via Soviet-era pipelines running through Ukraine were halted on 1 January after Kyiv refused to renew a pre-war transit deal with the Kremlin’s state energy giant Gazprom. The arrangement between Kyiv and Moscow had been in place for decades.Slovakia had spent months trying to persuade Ukraine…

A colourful display of aurora australis was visible across the country overnight, delighting night owls and early risers.Photographer Grant Birley told 1News he managed to capture the tail end of the phenomenon from Waitoki, in north Auckland shortly before 5am. “It was pretty strong all over — for those that had clear skies anyway,” he said. In a post online, Birley said he missed “the best part between 1 and 3am”, but said there was still enough pink auroral glow to be captured. “Not visible to the naked eye unfortunately, but easily seen in camera,” he said. Other keen photographers…

A 32-year-old man is facing multiple charges, including murder and attempted murder, following the death of a policewoman in central Nelson on New Year’s Day. Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming and her colleague Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay were struck by a vehicle while on foot patrol in the Buxton Square carpark at around 2.10am on New Year’s Day.The vehicle then turned around and rammed a police patrol car, concussing another police officer and injuring two members of the public.Fleming died in hospital surrounded by her family on Wednesday, and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said that Ramsay was in a stable condition…

A health warning has been issued for the Selwyn River/Waikirikiri in Canterbury after high levels of faecal bacteria was found consecutive samples.In a statement, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora said high levels of faecal bacteria were found in consecutive samples taken from Selwyn River/Waikirikiri at Glentunnel and at Whitecliffs.It’s the latest river in Canterbury to record high faecel bacteria levels, after a warning was issued last month for the Waimakariri River.National Public Health Service specialist Claire Salter said rainfall in the area in the last few days has most likely caused the high levels of faecal bacteria.”A number of…

Pelicot edged out Trump and Macron after she waived her anonymity in a highly publicised rape trial of her ex-husband and dozens of other men, insisting that “shame should change sides”. ADVERTISEMENTGisèle Pelicot has been named France’s Personality of the Year in a French opinion poll, following a much-publicised trial against her ex-husband and 50 other men found guilty of systematically raping her as she lay unconscious. The 72-year-old Pelicot beat a list of world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with 38% of respondents saying she had affected them the most over the past 12…