Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTDanish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the “USA should not take over Greenland” as she visits the semi-autonomous territory for a three-day trip aimed at building trust and cooperation with Greenlandic officials.It comes at a time when the Trump administration is seeking control of the vast Arctic territory. Greenland is a mineral-rich, strategically critical island that is becoming more accessible because of climate change. Trump has said that the landmass is critical to US security.Frederiksen announced plans for her visit after US Vice President JD Vance visited a US air base in Greenland last week and accused Denmark of underinvesting…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ US President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs is not good news for New Zealand, but there is still a lot of detail to work through, commentators say. Trump announced on Thursday he would instigate reciprocal tariffs on countries imposing duties on other countries – including responding to what he said was a 20% tariff on US goods from New Zealand. The baseline is 10%, which will apply to New Zealand, while China would have a rate of 34% and the European Union and Japan would face 20% and 24%, respectively. Kelly Eckhold, chief economist at…

Medsafe has approved weight loss drug Wegovy for use in New Zealand.Wegovy, a semiglutide prescription injection developed by Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, acts to regulate appetite by increasing feelings of fullness and reducing cravings for food.Medsafe, which is New Zealand’s regulatory for medicines, previously approved the use of Ozempic for the purpose of treating type 2 diabetes.”Wegovy has been approved by Medsafe for use in weight loss,” a spokesperson said.”The decision to supply Wegovy in New Zealand sits with the company, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals.”A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said the decision by MedSafe was “great news”.Approval for the popular medication said to…

An increase in the ACC levy is likely to mean a small reduction in employees’ pay in the next pay period.From April 1, the levy increased from $1.60 per $100 to $1.67.That means someone who earns $2000 a week before tax would have their levy increase from $32 to $33.40.The amount has risen steadily over the years, from $1.39 per $100 in the year to March 31, 2022.It will rise to $1.75 next year and $1.83 the year after.John Cuthbertson, of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, said it should make a small difference to most people.”From April 1, the…

New Zealand exporters face hundreds of millions of dollars of tariffs on goods sent to the US as President Trump carried through with his trade charges. The US will impose a base tariff of 10 percent on all foreign imports, with rates between 20 and 50 percent for countries judged to have major tariffs on US goods. They including tariffs of 34% on China and 20% on the European Union. New Zealand exports were worth about $9-billion last year, meaning theoretically New Zealand exporters will be penalised about $900 million. A US chart says New Zealand imposes 20 percent on…

A haka group from Keebra Park State High School in Gold Coast, Australia, will perform at this year’s Polyfest festival for the first time.Te Puna Mataatahi arrived in the country earlier this week ahead of their performance on the Māori stage on Thursday. Featuring 25 students, teacher and haka tutor Dean Harawira said the trip is a first on several accounts for most of them.”Ko te tuatahitanga tēnei mō rātou ki te rere ki runga i te waka rererangi, ki te noho ki runga i te marae, a, ki te tū ki runga i te ātamira hei whakataetae kapa haka…

ADVERTISEMENTBelgium and the Netherlands registered the highest job vacancy rates among EU countries in the last three months of 2024, with 4.1% of jobs in their labour markets currently unfilled, according to the latest Eurostat figures.Austria followed these two countries at 3.6%.On the other hand, Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania had the lowest rates for job openings, all at 0.7%, with Spain following at 0.9%. When comparing this quarter to the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate increased in four EU countries, remained stable in six, and decreased in 17 EU countries.  The largest increases were observed in Denmark,…

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Perry Turner always thought he would retire at Nelson Hospital but he’s recently quit as the overwhelming workload became too much.He’s now doing only private practice. He said he didn’t want to leave, but he felt like he had to. “I’m 52. I honestly feel like I’m the best surgeon I’ve ever been and I’m leaving the public hospital for my own health.”Turner said the number of patients had climbed while the number of doctors hadn’t. Senior doctors like him covered both planned procedures and emergencies, but he said it wasn’t working.”I was the sole spine surgeon…

ADVERTISEMENTGreece will spend €25 billion over the next decade to adapt its military to evolving high-tech warfare technologies, officials have said.Defence Minister Nikos Dendias told parliament the overhaul will be built around a planned air defence system called “Achilles Shield,” primarily aimed at addressing tensions with neighbouring Turkey.The two NATO members have long-standing disputes over boundaries in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean that have brought them close to war several times in recent decades.Dendias said Greece plans to shift from traditional defence systems to a high-tech, networked strategy centreed on mobile, AI-powered missile systems, drone technologies, and advanced command units,…

Police are investigating an unexplained death in the Wellington suburb of Northland.The person was found deceased at an address on Tuesday morning.Detective inspector Nick Pritchard said the investigation team have been conducting enquiries door-to-door in the Northland area and speaking to witnesses and people known to the victim.”A scene guard will remain in place at the property over the coming days.”Pritchard added members of the community could expect to see a “continued police presence in the area” while inquiries into the circumstances of the death continue.”If you have any information that could assist Police, please contact us via 105, either…