Author: Press Room

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ New Zealand coffee drinkers are being warned price rises are likely – but maybe not to the extent that Australians are expecting. Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambered warned this week that the cost of a coffee “could reach double digits” in some capital cities due to the high price of beans. In New Zealand, according to Stats NZ, a takeaway coffee was an average $4.84 in December, up from $3.65 10 years earlier. But it is not uncommon to pay a couple of dollars more. Flight Coffee managing director Richard Corney said he…

Bowel cancer in the under-50 age group is rising swiftly in many countries, and research shows lifestyle is likely to be a major factor. Sarah Allinson, a professor in biomedical and life sciences in the UK, reports.Almost two million people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year. Also known as colorectal cancer, it’s the third most common cancer worldwide.While the majority of people diagnosed with bowel cancer are over 50, recent years has seen an alarming increase in the number of young people being diagnosed with the condition.Japan is a country where bowel cancer rates have been on a steep…

A profit of more than $US100,000 ($NZ177,000) is no easy feat, and would have made a great payday for three Dunedin students. Unfortunately for them, none of the money was real. University of Otago finance students Shenjian Li, Mingxuan Yu and accountancy student Junxiu Lyu ranked first in both New Zealand and Australia at the Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge 2024 recently. The challenge, held over five weeks in October and November last year, involved beating the market benchmark relative to the Bloomberg World Large, Mid & Small Cap Price Return (WLS) Index by generating a return that outperformed the market…

A Christchurch memorial for New Zealand’s deadliest blaze has been desecrated by thieves after 23 historic bronze plaques were stolen from the site.The plaques were taken from the Ballantynes Fire Memorial located at the Ruru Lawn Cemetery in Bromley.The memorial was erected to commemorate the 41 people killed in November 1947 when a fire engulfed the central Christchurch department store. One of them was a pregnant woman, who jumped from the building to escape the flames.Each plaque is embossed with the name of a victim who died in the blaze. Di Keenan – the niece of Jessie Smith, who died…

Majority of young professionals reveal growing disillusion with mid-level management roles. Here’s why. ADVERTISEMENTThey call it “conscious unbossing”.It’s the idea that mid-management roles are obsolete and should be eliminated or transformed.For Gen-Zers, it’s often the deliberate choice of turning down or avoiding progression to mid-management altogether. The majority of them (52%) think it’s not worth it, according to research conducted by UK-based talent specialist Robert Walters, which reported an even higher rate in France (77%), 42% in Belgium and 30% in Switzerland.Why are Gen-Zers turning down middle management jobs?For Gen-Zers — that is, people aged 13 to 28 — the…

A Dunedin automation and robotics company has secured its third contract in Australia with a global mining corporation. In a statement to the New Zealand stock market yesterday, Scott Technology announced it had secured its third automation project with Rio Tinto in Australia, this time to automate the minerals laboratory at its West Angelas mine site. Led by the company’s Rocklabs business unit, the project was expected to improve safety and optimise laboratory operations to drive better operational outcomes across the entire site. Scott Technology chief executive Mike Christman said the project reinforced the company’s leadership in automation and built…

The European Union wants to bolster defence in face of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine and growing US demands for greater European financial support for NATO. ADVERTISEMENTSince Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU has supplied much weaponry and logistical support. But the conflict highlighted difficulties in increasing ammunition and weapons production within the bloc.The European Commission proposed a European Defence Industry Program in March 2024, that would provide for €1.5 billion to be allocated to defence from the EU budget between 2025 and 2027.The money should boost defence, technology and industry, but is scanty when compared with the €500 billion of investment in the sector, which experts…

MEPs have asked the European Commission for faster and stronger action on platform rules in light of recent developments on X and Meta. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission’s tech chief on Tuesday defended the executive’s enforcement of online platform rules before MEPs, after lawmakers urged her to step up against tech CEOs including X’s billionaire owner Elon Musk for alleged breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA).“Foreign interference requires a powerful response,” said Henna Virkkunen, Commissioner for tech sovereignty, security and democracy.“In recent days the European Commission has asked X to provide information on the recommender systems. Strong and timely enforcement is required…

Donald Trump has criticised the cost of US military assistance to Ukraine and aims to transfer a greater share of responsibility to Europe. ADVERTISEMENTFrench President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for Europe to “wake up” and increase its defence spending to reduce its dependency on the United States for security, as President Donald Trump returns to power.Addressing an audience of French military service members at the Army Digital and Cyber Support Command in western France, Macron highlighted the need for Europe to adapt to changing threats and shifting US foreign policy priorities, particularly concerning Ukraine, calling Trump’s inauguration an “opportunity…

The president repeated false claims related to the 2020 US election in addition to unfounded allegations against immigration. ADVERTISEMENTDonald Trump made several false and misleading claims in his first address after being sworn in for a second term as president, some of which go as far back as his first time in office.They included claims about immigration, the economy, electric vehicles and the Panama Canal, and were followed by yet more dubious statements as he delivered remarks at the US Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, such as misleading allegations about the pardons made by President Joe Biden as he left office.Here’s a…