Author: Press Room

There’s concern among Chinese Americans about being “singled out” by the US government’s TikTok ban, which at this stage will begin in just over a week.It comes a day after the US Supreme Court heard arguments for and against the ban, which congress passed in a law late year to begin on January 20 (New Zealand time), citing national security concerns.The US government says the data of the more than 170 million American users of the app could be accessed and used by the Chinese government through TikTok’s parent company ByteDance.ByteDance pushed back, saying that wasn’t happening, and said the…

The Desert Road between Tūrangi and Waiouru will close for maintenance for two months from Monday.Waka Kotahi NZTA said the work involved reconstructing 16 kilometres of road, improving drainage, clearing 15 kilometres of road shoulder and replacing the deck of the Mangatoetoenui Bridge.New bridge deck will add 50 years to its lifespanRegional manager of maintenance and operations in Waikato-Bay of Plenty, Roger Brady, said the bridge was built in 1966 and in need of replacement.”This job alone would require the road to have been closed for about a month, so being able to do this at the same time as…

The Thames-Coromandel mayor says there will be an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a young person who fell from a cliff near Hahei Beach in Coromandel at the weekend.Police said two people aged under-18 fell from a cliff on Saturday evening; one died at the scene, the other was rescued uninjured.Mayor Len Salt said details of the incident were still coming in and there would be an investigation into the circumstances behind what happened.”Our hearts go out to the families and the loved ones of the young person who lost their life … it’s heartbreaking to happen…

Uncertainty and ongoing market volatility continue to cast a shadow over 2025’s business outlook.Datacom’s latest Business Outlook Survey said economic uncertainty was the primary business concern for more than three quarters (77%) of a survey of more than 200 business leaders heading into the new year, compared with 13% a year ago.Datacom managing director Justin Gray said the results reflected the challenging environment businesses had been navigating over a prolonged period.While there were opportunities to drive growth with generative AI and other technology-based opportunities, there was ongoing concern about the a lack of skilled workers (15%) and budget constraints (34%).”Technology…

A group of five skiers was hit by the avalanche above the village of Trasquera in the Piedmont region. Two survived and were helicoptered to hospital. ADVERTISEMENTThe avalanche broke away around 12.30pm on the eastern face of Punta Valgrande, a summit in the Leopontine Alps, on the border between Italy and Switzerland.The skiers who died were dragged down the snowy mountain for several hundred metres from where they had been skiing at over 2,800 metres. The bodies have not yet been recovered because they are awaiting authorisation from the local magistrate.An alert had been issued in the area above 2,100…

A growing demand for crate beers in recent years appears to defy the trend of declining alcohol consumption rates in Aotearoa.The Swappa Crate has been around in New Zealand for more than 100 years, and is commonly found in student flats, sports clubs, and farm sheds.The wooden box, holding 12 745ml bottles of beer, requires a deposit on your first purchase; when it is returned with the empty bottles, subsequent crates come at the cost of the beer only. Meanwhile, the bottles are washed, refilled and sent back to the stores.The Swappa Crate scheme is run by the Associated Bottlers…

Romania was plunged into turmoil after Călin Georgescu, a far-right populist, won, only for allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference to emerge. ADVERTISEMENTTens of thousands protested in Bucharest on Sunday against the decision by Romania’s Constitutional Court last month to annul the presidential election.Many brandished placards bearing slogans such as “Democracy is not optional” and “We want free elections.” Many also demanded the resumption of the presidential race from the second round.The protest comes after the unprecedented move to annul the election just two days before the 8 December runoff. The far-right populist Călin Georgescu shocked many when he…

The attacks came in the aftermath of a large-scale attack on Donetsk a day earlier. ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian forces shot down 60 Russian attack drones overnight from Saturday to Sunday, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on Sunday morning.The drones were shot down over Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and Donetsk, it said.A total of 94 drones were launched from bases in the Russian territories of Millerovo, Oryol, Bryansk, and Kursk. While falling debris caused damage to several residential houses in Kharkiv, Sumy, and Poltava, the Air Force reported no casualties.The attacks came in the aftermath of large-scale…

And one in twelve beers in Dutch supermarkets is now alcohol-free, according to figures from market researcher Circana. ADVERTISEMENTTrying to catch the no or low alcohol wave, some brewers are making it their main source of income, such as Van de Streek Bier in Utrecht.Ronald van de Streek and his brother Sander have been brewing beer since 2017 and they now produce around 900 litres of it every hour. They started more than ten years ago as a hobby, at home in their kitchen. Back then they were still making beer with alcohol, now more than 60% of their production…

If you’ve heard the bagpipes ringing out across Wellington recently, you’re not mistaken.The capital has just hosted the biggest piping and drumming summer school in the Southern Hemisphere.About 130 pipers and drummers from around the country as well as Australia and Canada have been in Wellington for an intense week of learning.Liam Kernaghan, the president of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands’ Association, said it’s for all ages and stages.“It’s basically an opportunity to come and hone your skills, make some new mates and have a lot of fun along the way.”Teenagers Hope and Grace Barnes have come from Canada…