Author: Press Room

The European Commission slapped a €120 million fine on Friday on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, for the first time under its landmark Digital Services Act following a two-year investigation. At the centre of the probe is the blue checkmark, previously used to signal official accounts at no cost but now sold for €7 a month, which risks confusing users about the veracity of identities. Under the new X settings, an account with a checkmark may not signal a real user and could instead be a bot, the Commission said. As a result, it decided…

Three men have been charged with selling cannabis and possession of cannabis for supply, following an operation targeting the supply of illicit drugs in Masterton.The men – aged 21, 22 and 43 – were arrested on December 2, after a search warrant was carried out at a residential Masterton address.Officers found 273.6g of cannabis, packaged and ready for sale, along with various items used in the sale and supply of dugs during the search. Officers found 273.6g of cannabis, packaged and ready for sale, and several imitation and modified air rifles. (Source: NZ Police)Police also found several imitation and modified…

More than 4000 people have been affected by an Inland Revenue error that could have meant they paid the wrong amount of tax.RNZ was contacted by a reader who said he had noticed the error when he went to finalise his tax return.Inland Revenue now issues income tax assessments each year for most New Zealanders, which tells them whether they have paid the right amount of tax.The man said he and his wife would fill out an IR3 every year. “Nowadays the income, tax and imputation credits are automatically filled in, whether that be from investments in bonds, equities, or…

Housing Minister Chris Bishop might be encouraging tenants to negotiate a cheaper rent deal as prices drop — but how exactly do you do that?RNZ reported that rents were at their lowest level in two years in September.Bishop said after a select committee hearing on Wednesday that tenants should take the opportunity to ask for lower rent if they could.We talked to two tenancy experts about how you might do that.Arm yourself with dataBoth David Faulkner, a property management expert and general manager of property management at Property Brokers, and Sarina Gibbon of Tenancy Advisory, said it would be important…

Published on 05/12/2025 – 11:22 GMT+1 Europe will never go back to Russian energy after Moscow’s all-out war in Ukraine, Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen told Euronews’ flagship morning show Europe Today, adding that a new law to ban Russian oil is in the works and will be presented soon. Jørgensen described the EU27’s ban on Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a point of no return moment for the bloc during an exclusive interview with Euronews. “Even when there’s peace, we won’t buy Russian gas again. Our agreement will stand even after a peace agreement between Russia…

Rotorua Lakes Council’s trial of moving the city’s Night Market from the central city to Kuirau Park has sparked concern among stallholders and retailers, with some reporting sharp drops in trade and reduced foot traffic in the CBD.The council began the trial in October to save $200,000 in costs, enable earlier summer trading, and address health and safety concerns.Councillor Robert Lee told Local Democracy Reporting that he intended to file a notice of motion at next week’s council meeting asking for consideration to end the trial after hearing “concerning feedback” from stallholders and retailers.“The purpose of the market was to…

The person killed when a car crashed into a river in Bay of Plenty has been named, as police urge drivers of vehicles in the area before the incident to come forward with information. Whakatāne woman Ngahina Takarangi, 44, was killed in the crash on White Pine Bush Rd near Tāneatua just after 6pm on Tuesday. A second person was seriously injured. In an update this afternoon, police urged the drivers of two vehicles seen near the scene of the crash to speak to them as investigations continued. Inspector Paul Wilson, Eastern Bay of Plenty Area Commander confirmed that prior…

Published on 05/12/2025 – 9:21 GMT+1 Living with your parents has its perks. Free laundry, zero rent, and dinner is always on the table. It’s fun when you are 15. But is it still fun when you are 35? For a record number of Europeans, the “Mum and Dad’s Hotel” is not a luxury— it is an economic necessity. The latest data shows the average European now leaves home at 26.2 years old. But statistics lie. If you live in Finland, you are likely independent by 21. But in Croatia, you are stuck in your childhood bedroom until you are…

MetService is forecasting a lovely weekend for most of the country following a week that “had it all” including a tornado, heavy rain and lots of lightning. MetService meteorologist Heather Keats told Breakfast there had been more than 35,000 lightning strikes recorded across the country since Monday. “A very active week, the North Island had more than 17,000 of those strikes.She said Waikato had around 4000 strikes on Wednesday as a ” big low system moved across”, while Bay of Plenty hit 3800 and Auckland recorded 787. “This will surprise you if you were in Auckland, because it felt like…

The highly anticipated opening of Swedish furniture company IKEA in New Zealand comes as a rural community worries about the fire risk from pine plantations.Since 2020 IKEA has converted six Central Hawke’s Bay farms into pine forestry, which they believe makes them the largest forestry owner in the district.This move, combined with the sale of at least four other Hawke’s Bay farms to overseas forestry companies this year, is sparking concerns from locals about the loss of productive farmland and the risks associated with converting large areas into pines.’Dumbest thing NZ has done in agriculture’To better understand the scale of…