Author: Press Room

Persistence has paid off for a Taranaki couple who won $8.3 million in last week’s Powerball First Division Lotto draw using the same “special set of numbers” they had played for close to two decades.The couple, who wished to remain anonymous, said the win was “absolutely incredible”.”We picked the numbers together a long time ago and have been playing them ever since,” the woman said.She was about to clean her car on Thursday when she heard on the radio that a MyLotto player from Taranaki had won.,”I was on my way out the door when I heard the news and…

For more than 60 years, Europe has led a global trend towards legal access to abortion. Fears of a reversal of this trend have led to the campaign “My Choice, My Voice”, a citizens’ initiative calling for action from the European Commission. ADVERTISEMENTThe Commission is obliged to formally respond to the initiative’s demand for a proposal to “ensure that all EU citizens, regardless of nationality or residence, have access to safe and legal abortion services”, as the petition exceeded the legal threshold of 1 million signatures collected from more than seven member states, in this case 15 member states were covered.In the EU, almost…

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has released a restructuring proposal, which includes reducing the number of roles at the highest-ranking levels by 17.A consultation document, sent to affected staff today, proposed consolidating a number of roles and responsibilities, including the disestablishment of 37 executive and support service positions and the creation of 20 new positions.In a statement, Chambers said he clearly signalled his intent to restructure the current police executive when he was appointed Commissioner in November.”My goal is to ensure our executive structure is fit-for-purpose, provides strong, clear leadership to the frontline, and delivers on the priorities I have set.”Consultation…

“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian and the people living in Gaza,” José Manuel Albares Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs told Euronews’ Europe Conversation, reacting to recent comments by Donald Trump. ADVERTISEMENTGaza belongs to the Palestinians, who must remain there, Spain’s foreign minister told Euronews’ Europe Conversation, pushing back against recent remarks by US President Donald Trump.The US President called to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and to move its inhabitants to Jordan and Egypt, which both countries strongly rejected. Trump’s idea runs counter to US foreign policy to date, which has so far favoured a two-state solution, also supported by…

Google has confirmed it will display both Gulf of America and Gulf of Mexico to countries outside the US and Mexico within Google Maps.In the US, Google said users would see the name of the gulf change once the US government’s Geographic Names Information System was updated.In Mexico, Google Maps would continue to display Gulf of Mexico as the official name, according to reporting by Reuters.Last week, US president Donald Trump signed an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. The change left mapmakers pondering, and there were questions on how the order would be reflected…

EU probes into Apple, Alphabet and Meta — which were opened last March — remain unclosed. ADVERTISEMENTProbes against companies for breaching the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) should be wrapped up soon to stop ongoing breaches of the competition rules, a group of different associations and businesses urged Teresa Ribera, European Commissioner for Competitiveness, in a letter sent on Tuesday.The DMA aims to ensure fair competition between online platforms and started to apply early 2024, but none of the European Commission investigations into US tech giants Apple, Alphabet and Meta for alleged breaches of the law, have been closed. “The…

The Chief Human Rights Commissioner has called for a “hotline” set up to report Israeli soldiers holidaying in New Zealand to be shut down. The hotline was promoted in a newsletter from the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) last week and encouraged people to report any IDF soldiers or reservists visiting New Zealand. “We need your help to track them down so we can let them know they are not welcome here.”Today Chief Human Rights Commissioner Dr Stephen Rainbow called for the “immediate end” to the hotline. He said the commission had received more than 90 complaints about it.Rainbow said…

In ten years, the global space economy could triple in size. Europe wants to remain at the forefront of this sector, but risks being left behind if words are not matched by action, said EU Commissioner for Space and Defence Andrius Kubilius. ADVERTISEMENTEuropean Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has called for the EU to adopt a “big bang” approach to space, injecting investment along lines similar to new priorities on defence, speaking at the the 17th European Space Conference in Brussels. Kubilius said he wanted Europe to be a leader in the space industry, but admitted that the budget is…

A driver is in custody after allegedly fleeing police across Auckland this afternoon — with the pursued vehicle spiked multiple times and damage to three police vehicles.Police first observed the vehicle with mismatching plates travelling city-bound on the Northwestern Motorway before 3pm.Inspector Kerry Watson said police staff approached the blue Subaru in Western Springs a short time later, intending to ask the driver to stop.”Instead, the driver took off from police at speed on Great North Road towards Pt Chevalier.”Police have not pursued this vehicle, but the police Eagle helicopter continued to monitor this vehicle’s erratic and dangerous driving behaviour.”The…

Copenhagen is boosting its military spending and holding talks with European allies as Trump ramps up his expansionist rhetoric. ADVERTISEMENTDenmark will inject 14.6 billion kroner (€1.95 billion) into boosting its military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic region, the country’s Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Monday, as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded to buy or otherwise take control of Greenland.“There are serious challenges regarding security and defence in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” Denmark’s Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement, adding that the package would include three new Arctic naval vessels, two…